--SS Hanley Ramirez will have the green light again this season, but that doesn't mean the Marlins want him to try to steal 50 bases for a third consecutive year.
"I hope not," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "The reason being, your body gets banged up and the wear and tear. Here's a guy who hits you .300 with a chance to hit 30 (home runs) and drive in a lot of runs. I'm scared because the more you're that type of a stolen bases (guy), even when you don't steal and you're diving back to first base, you get banged up."
Ramirez stole 51 bases in each of his first two seasons. He hit 17 home runs as a rookie in 2006 and 29 last year to go with batting averages of .292 and .332, respectively.
"Hopefully, the home runs go up and the stolen bases go down," Gonzalez said.
--OFs Cody Ross (against left-handed pitchers) and Alejandro de Aza (vs. righties) will platoon in center field. That will change if Cameron Maybin rejoins the team later this year.
Maybin, the centerpiece of the eight-player trade that sent Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to the Tigers in December, was optioned to Class AA Carolina on Monday, ending his bid for a roster spot after an inconsistent spring.
"We still see him as the center fielder of the future. It's not going to be Opening Day," said Larry Beinfest, Florida's president of baseball operations. "He just needs to refine a few things. He needs to get some additional at-bats in the minor leagues, then hopefully he'll be our center fielder for a long time."
Maybin, 20, went hitless in his last 18 at-bats -- including 0-for-5 Monday in Florida's 10-10 tie with Houston -- to finish with a .190 average this spring. He also hit three home runs but was limited to 15 games because of a tight left hamstring that kept him out of action the first week of Grapefruit League play.
--Barring a move to bring in a player in the final five days of spring, Jorge Cantu will replace Miguel Cabrera at third base for the Marlins this season. Cantu won the job after Dallas McPherson was optioned to Class AAA Albuquerque on Tuesday.
McPherson, a former top prospect in the Angels system, was trying to make a comeback after missing all of last season recovering from back surgery. He missed the start of spring with a sore oblique. Then he was out from March 8 until Sunday with a sore left groin. In 21 at-bats, he hit .095.
Cantu, 26, hasn't played third base on a consistent basis since 2005. He has played mostly at second base (218 games).
"This is the first time he has played third base the majority of his career," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "I'm not going to say he's going to win a Gold Glove or be a Brooks Robinson-type guy, but I think he'll do well at third base from what I've seen in spring training."
The Marlins made 27 errors at third base last year, including 23 by Cabrera. Cantu had also been competing this spring with Jose Castillo, who had been considered the better defender. But Castillo was claimed off waivers March 22 by San Francisco.
--RF Jeremy Hermida might miss the first four games of the season because of a tight left hamstring that has kept him out of action since March 15. If Hermida starts the season on the disabled list (retroactive to March 21), veteran Luis Gonzalez will start in right field on Opening Day. It would be Gonzalez's first career start in right field after 2,455 career games. It also would make it 18 consecutive seasons in the Opening Day lineup for Gonzalez.
--LF Josh Willingham is still looking for his first Grapefruit League home run. But Willingham isn't concerned. "I haven't hit a spring training home run since 2006," he said.
Willingham hit 21 home runs last year and 26 as a rookie in 2006. He'll bat fourth and fifth this season, swapping spots with left-handed hitter Mike Jacobs depending on pitching matchups.
The most encouraging news for Willingham is that his back hasn't been an issue this spring. A herniated disk limited his play in September.
BY THE NUMBERS 15 -- Starts for the Dodgers in 2007 for LHP Mark Hendrickson, who will start Florida's season opener March 31 against the Mets.
QUOTE TO NOTE "Our feeling was Jorge Cantu had a leg up on the competition. We were unsure how effective (Jose Castillo) would be in a part-time or bench role. We are hopeful this is a better opportunity for him." -- GM Larry Beinfest, on releasing Jose Castillo through waivers, and giving the third base job to Cantu.
Copyright (C) 2008 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.
