Matt DiFilippo at Seamheads.com re-examines some statements (h/t Baseball Think Factory) made by the writers of Baseball Prospectus over the years that ended up a little wide of the mark. Here are a few of my favorites:
On Hanley Ramirez, before his monster rookie campaign (.292/.353/.480 at age 22) with the Florida Marlins:
There’s no indication that he is ready for the major leagues, but the Marlins are apparently going to let him try.
On Jimmy Rollins, in 2004 (three years before he won the NL MVP):
In any event, his power and speed both appear to be dissipating, and without those he won’t …read more

Ah, Opening Day. I hope you had as much fun as we did (full report at Ducksnorts). Beyond the thrill of a packed house at Petco Park watching Jake Peavy spin a shutout, here are a few items from Monday that caught my eye:

The Mets beat the Marlins, 7-2. The planet’s best pitcher against a Triple-A squad — who could’ve have anticipated such a result? Uh, everyone.
The Pittsburgh/Atlanta game was insane. The Pirates took a 9-4 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but the Braves tied. Then the Bucs jumped ahead in the 12th, 12-9, before allowing two runs …read more

The lead from this article is classic:
Even after signing Jose Castillo on Christmas Eve, the Marlins may not be done giving themselves third base options.
Only in Miami, where the Marlins’ owner has trained his team’s “fans” to expect nothing and like it, could this even be in doubt. Castillo hit .244/.270/.335 for the Pirates in 2007. Huh, so he might not be the answer at third?
Other players being considered include Jorge Cantu and Dallas McPherson. Cantu hit .252/.331/.357 last season for the Devil Rays and the Reds. McPherson didn’t play in 2007 due to injury, but hit .261/.298/.478 the previous …read more

For your amusement, and mine…

More great games, fewer Congressional investigations.
A commissioner who isn’t one of the owners. Yeah, I know technically he isn’t one of the owners anymore, but he’s one of the owners.
Hall of Fame enshrinement for Bert Blyleven, Goose Gossage, and Tim Raines.
Enough with the Red Sox already. It was kinda cute the first time, but now it’s just annoying.
A real owner for the Marlins, and not someone who only knows how to destroy big-league franchises.
One more season for Julio Franco.
Seventy wins for the Royals and Pirates.
No domed stadiums, designated hitters, or All-Star games that determine home-field advantage …read more

I’ve been holding off on this one because it isn’t finalized, but everyone and their mother is reporting the deal, so I suppose it’s safe to comment. The Florida Marlins reportedly are sending Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to the Detroit Tigers for Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller, Mike Rabelo, Eulogio De La Cruz, Dallas Trahern, and Burke Badenhop.
This is going to take a while, so you may want to pull up a chair. Heck, go ahead and order a pizza.
Headed to Detroit
Cabrera is a stud. There’s no other way to put it. In any given year, he’s a legitimate MVP …read more

Not to obsess on catchers, but the Marlins are in the market for one. Seems they’re not thrilled with incumbent Miguel Olivo.
I have to admit, Olivo is one my favorite players because, by all rights, his skill set should not merit a starting job in the big leagues. And yet, there he is. Check out his walk rates:

Miguel Olivo: Absolutely Hacktabulous

Year
PA
BB/PA
BB/SO

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.

2003
346
.055
.238

2004
329
.061
.238

2005
281
.028
.100

2006
452
.020
.087

2007
469
.030
.114

Give Olivo credit. He didn’t develop his “ability” to swing at everything right away, but he stuck with it and now he’s absolutely hacktabulous. If only he’d gotten started sooner…
Like what you just read? Subscribe to Knuckle …read more

Preseason Picks Revisited
The story so far:

AL West
AL Central
AL East
NL West
NL Central

And now for our latest installment…

Mets – Only a historic collapse kept me from getting this one right. They were supposed to be the strongest team in the National League, and I had them losing to the Angels in the World Series.
Braves – You wonder what might have been if they hadn’t traded away Adam LaRoche for Mike Gonzalez and if Andruw Jones had shown up to play.
Phillies – At the beginning of the season, I didn’t think they had enough pitching. I still don’t, but it appears not to …read more

San Diego Padres outfielder Scott Hairston, who hit a walkoff homer Wednesday night against the Pirates, takes a mighty cut.
Teams are running out of time to make their move. The AL West and Central have been decided — if not mathematically, then practically speaking. The AL East is still up for grabs, but unless you’re a fan of the Red Sox or Yankees, that’s not a particularly compelling story line seeing that the runner-up almost certainly will win the wild card.
In the National League, things are a little more interesting. The Mets continue their free fall and now are just …read more

We have a new entrant for Idiot of the Year. Friday night, a “fan” in Florida reached over the wall and caught a drive off the bat of the Marlins’ Miguel Cabrera, denying Cabrera of a possible extra-base hit. The punch line? Cabrera is this guy’s favorite player.
Uh, whatever.
Quoth the “fan”:
I did something that anyone else would do.
Wow. Sometimes it really takes a special kind of stupid…

Vitals

Name: Matt Dominguez
Bats: Right

Pos: 3B
Throws: Right

Height: 6′2″
DOB: 29 Aug 89

Weight: 180 lbs
School: Chatsworth (Calif.) HS

With the 12th pick in the 2007 draft, the Florida Marlins have selected high school third baseman Matt Dominguez.
What they’re saying:

Nearly everyone agrees he’s a Gold Glover in the making. One scout said he was the best defensive third baseman he’d seen in years.
–Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com

Additional reading:

2007 Draft Report (MiLB.com) — includes scouting video
Player Bio (Chatsworth HS)
Area Code Profile (StudentSportsBaseball.com)
Last day of innocence (Los Angeles Daily News)