The Marlins franchise has become synonymous with its expert status in the field of developing fine, young talent and then trading it away to other teams in exchange for more youth. This strategy isn’t necessarily by choice, as poor ticket sales prevent the team from having the ability to sign big names.

Somehow, the Marlins have come away with two World Series championships in their 16 years of existence. Once in 1997, and again in 2003. Much of their success has resulted from great young pitching, and the following article will list the top five players to have ever pitched for the franchise.

5. Carl Pavano – Most will think of Pavano as a Yankee or an Indian, but 5+ years ago, Pavano was a Florida Marlin, and a great one at that. His 2004 season stands above all else, as Pavano had an 18-8 record and a 3.00 earned run average. Pavano finished his Marlins career at 33-22, and this is certainly enough to warrant his top-5 status.

4. AJ Burnett – One of the best pitchers in baseball when it comes to striking batters out, Burnett was a strikeout aficionado in Florida too, as evidenced by his 2002 season, which consisted of 203 strikeouts and a low ERA at 3.30. Injuries somewhat limited his potential in Florida, and Burnett lost (50) a slightly higher number of games than he won (49).

3. Kevin Brown – Brown would actually be #1 on this list if he had pitched a couple more seasons down here. Like Pavano, Brown only pitched two seasons with the Marlins. The difference is Brown’s seasons were MUCH better. In the first year, Brown went 17-11 with a 1.89 ERA and a .94 WHIP. It doesn’t get much better than that, yet he still had 11 losses. Go figure. In his final season with the Marlins, Brown went 16-8 with a 2.69 ERA. Combining these two years gives us Brown’s career numbers with the Marlins: a 33-19 record with a 2.30 ERA. Based on career stats in general, there’s no question that Brown is the best SP to ever pitch for the Marlins. However, because he only pitched for the Marlins for two seasons, it simply wouldn’t be fair to give the #1 spot to him.

2. Josh Beckett – Like Burnett, Beckett suffered a plethora of injuries during his five seasons with the Marlins that limited his production. In fact, Beckett never made 30+ starts in any single season. Beckett’s best single season came in 2005 when he went 15-8 with a 3.37 ERA. In his career as a Marlin, Beckett finished 41-34 with a 3.46 ERA, 607 strikeouts in 609 innings, and only 529 hits allowed. However, Beckett is probably most known for his dominating performance during the 2003 playoffs, in which he compiled a 2.11 ERA and helped knock off the heavily favored Yankees. He is considered to be the best playoff pitcher in Marlins history.

1. Dontrelle Willis – His career ERA as a Marlin (3.78) may be a bit higher than others on this list, but Dontrelle Willis has more wins than any Florida Marlins pitcher (68), and more starts as a Marlin (162). Additionally, Dontrelle Willis compiled a season that was just as good as (if not better than) any other pitcher to don a Marlins uniform, with a 22-10 record and a 2.63 ERA. Seasons like these are rare, and Willis finished second in Cy Young voting that season. To top it all off, Willis’s 8 home runs as a Marlin are more than any pitcher in the team’s history.

Pitchers to watch for the future include Josh Johnson, currently in the midst of a breakout season, and Ricky Nolasco, a young pitcher with a lot of upside. Either one of them could easily make this list with another season or two in Florida.

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When he was in Philadelphia, Ed Wade acquired a reputation as a builder of bullpens. Now the Astros’ general manager, Wade has continued that tradition. He seems to love crafting a bullpen the way he loves running triathlons. When he first got the job in Houston, it didn’t take Wade long to overhaul the relief corps. Gone were Brad Lidge and Chad Qualls. In came Jose Valverde, Doug Brocail, Oscar Villarreal and Geoff Geary. At the trade deadline last year, he added LaTroy Hawkins.

Wade’s strategy is very clear, and it involves a deep bullpen because of his belief that every bullpen is full of its disappointments. Building around this expectation helps to maintain depth in a department that is crucial to a team’s success. The problem with this strategy is the enormous price tag that it comes at.

By my fuzzy math, the Astros’ bullpen salary comes out to $18.424 million. That’s in the same ballpark as what the World Champion Phillies spend, the team closest in overall market size to what the Astros are. Yet, if you look at some of the other contending National League teams, the bullpen cost appears to be above average. The Dodgers, even with George Sherrill recently added from the Orioles, has a bullpen costing around $7.2 million. St. Louis is spending around $6.2 million. The Braves spend about $12 million. The Giants about $13 million. Looking at that, you can understand why the Dodgers could afford to add Randy Wolf while the Astros couldn’t.

In Wade’s defense, the entire problem isn’t his responsibility. The Astros signed closer Jose Valverde to a large contract and the team had planned to ship him out during the off-season. Due to the economic difficulties of the past year, teams will no longer take on such a high salary unless they’re fully confident in the player, and Valverde doesn’t fit the bill.

So now we’re left with no choice but to accept the huge price tag in the bullpen, so you’d at least expect some success with such high salaries intact. Far from the truth, though. The Astros bullpen has a season ERA of 4.28. The team has the second most blown saves in the MLB, and many of its pitchers have spent some time on the disabled list in 2009. Cecil Cooper’s poor treatment of his bullpen pitchers is partly responsibly for this.

Partly due to injury and partly due to a lack of confidence in his pitchers, Cooper rode Sampson and Hawkins hard for the first three months. By the All-Star Break, it was clear that both were running on empty and it was no surprise that both landed on the disabled list before July was over. Sampson, Hawkins and Byrdak lead the club in appearances but Byrdak has often been used to face just one or two batters. Sampson and Fulchino lead in relief innings pitched but Fulchino has often been the mop-up pitcher in blowout losses. There are some baseball thinkers who believe spending starting pitcher money on a closer is a bad idea. Why spend so much on a guy who might get in 70 innings when a starter should amass close to 200 innings?

There’s much debate as to whether a team is better off spending its money on one great starting pitcher or on a few capable relievers. While both situations have their ups and downs, it seems that in this case, the Astros need to make a decisive move in one direction; either slim down the bullpen or continue building toward a stronger one.

So many names in Houston (and talented ones) are on the verge of seeing increased salaries or expiring contracts. Wandy Rodriguez, Michael Bourne, Hunter Pence, and Miguel Tejada are just a few of these names. There’s no way the Astros can maintain their bullpen and sign all of these names too.

Logically, you’d expect them to ship out some relievers…but this is Ed Wade, so who knows what happens from here.

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The first thought in my mind after hearing that the Orioles traded away closer George Sherrill for two minor league baseball players was “what in the world are they doing?!”. It seemed like the team was burying itself by giving away a key piece in exchange for some scraps.

Fortunately, my mindset has shifted a bit since looking more into the players they received in return. Of course it would have been nice to have received players who can make an immediate impact, but Bell and Johnson both look like pretty promising prospects.

I understand this season has already gone down the toilet but we still shouldn’t write off the rest of the season. It’s one of the Orioles’ better seasons in recent memory thus far and it’s nice to see them winning some games (especially at home). On the other hand, this is another step in the Orioles’ rebuilding process.

Let’s face it. The Orioles aren’t going to contend for the AL East this season. They might be an improved team from years past, but they’re still last in their division, as nearly every team in the division is somewhat competitive.

The Orioles will most likely lose 36-year-old Melvin Mora to free agency after season’s end. If they don’t lose him, he’s aging anyway and he’ll soon need a replacement.

Josh Bell has been pretty good in Double-A Chattanooga. He’s batting .296 with 11 home runs and 52 RBIs in 94 games. As for Johnson, he was an important component for Chattanooga with a 9-5 record and a 3.61 ERA. His pitching future is bright, and he may very well see some action for the Orioles in 2010.

These 2 players are just two more pieces of the Orioles’ game plan. Their rookies this year have been outstanding so here’s to hoping that Bell and Johnson can contribute to a future winning club. I, for one, think they will.

Can’t wait to see what becomes of this team!

Nicholas McMillan is a lifelong MLB zealot, and is pleased to see signs of improvement on the Orioles’ part. He often contributes his input at this Baltimore Orioles forum, and posts at their sports forum whenever he needs a change of pace.

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While most sports fans believed that Mark McGwire used steroids during his playing days, those suspicions were confirmed when the former Cardinals first baseman recently admitted to his illicit use of the performance enhancing drugs.

What may have been more interesting is the fact that McGwire claims to have used these drugs not simply as a means of getting ahead. McGwire says he took steroids because he believed that they would help him heal from injuries more quickly.

This seems very believable when you look at the career path that McGwire followed. Through 1989, his playing time had been seriously hampered due to injury, and many felt that he would otherwise be the best home run hitter in baseball if not for his injury issues.

What followed in the years to come was exactly what one would expect. He was healthier through the majority of the remainder of his career, and his offensive production was exceptional.

No year was more indicative of his steroid use than 1998 was. This is a year that you very likely remember, as he belted 70 home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals, breaking the single season home record previously held by Roger Maris.

It was a matter of a few seasons before people realized that there had to be some means of artificial help creating seasons once thought to be impossible for older players like McGwire, Barry Bonds, and many others. There had to be steroids involved.

Baseball fans almost feel foolish to have believed that everything was done legitimately. After seeing decades in which players struggled to top 50 home runs, 60 and 70 were suddenly being done nearly every year. This couldn’t have been more obvious.

Despite this all, one has to wonder if McGwire should be chided or praised for his recent admissions. While his numbers will certainly hold very little credence, he was a brave man to do what far too players have been willing to do up until now.

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The Brewers mainly have nothing remaining to vie for this season, and have currently been reduced to being the ‘spoiler’ franchise.

Thus, why shouldn’t they have some fun when they come up with a chance to emerge victorious in a game as the month of September is upon us?

The St. Louis Cardinals (chiefly boss Tony LaRussa) have never been a fan of Milwaukee’s ‘post-game celebrations following a victory (untucking their uniforms, and the means by which they celebrate).

Well, I can only envision what went through LaRussa’s brain when he saw highlights from the Brewers’ win on Sunday, 9/6 versus San Francisco.

But, furthermore, what was the rest of baseball thinking as well?

In a game where the Brewers had previously executed a rare triple play going 5-four-3, they forced extra innings vs. San Fran.

Then the Brewers finest player, as well as the emperor in Prince Fielder stepped up during the bottom of the twelfth inning to wind up the savior again.

Fielder hit a curving line drive over the right field wall to credit him another lifetime game-winning hit and the brewers a 2-1 victory.

Just as Fielder crossed 1st base, he pulled out his shirt (I wrote an expose during the previous season detailing why they do it), then he pointed to the dugout. After watching the finish effect, you’ll comprehend why he pointed.

An organized dance was getting ready to take place.

Customarily a dance of this type consists of the player running around all four bases, jumping on home plate and next being mobbed by his colleagues. The Brewers added in a small change on Sunday.

Fielder rounded the bases. Fielder jumped on home plate. Just when Fielder landed though, the rest of the franchise (minus coaches and managers) fell over like dominoes, departing “The Prince” standing on house plate with his arms raised to the sky.

These men are paid to play a game, so go out and possess some friendly, like Prince Fielder and the rest of the The brewers Brewers are doing.

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A tiny flicker of optimism was on the horizon during the latter part of last week as FoxBusiness.com claimed that the Wilpons’ financial losses from Bernard Madoff were so extreme that they would be forced to get rid of the Mets. The Wilpon family issued a refutation.

This particular season merely isn’t as much fun for the Mets’ rivals lacking the Mets falling apart. My apologies fellows.

The Mets have had sixteen base runners tagged out at home this year. The Post blames Razor Shines.

New Yorkwill give a time share to Josh Thole when he’s sent to the majors September 6th. The Mets would prefer to keep their farm club down for a time to make up for the absence of intensity.

Over the weekend, Cliff Lee earned his first loss as a Phillie. The team however won two of 3 from the Braves.

The NL ROY fight is gearing up to be a battle among 2 National league East stars.

Washington traded 2B Ronnie Belliard to Los Angeles for two minor leaguers.

Florida shipped hurler Chris Volstad to triple-A. Volstad was unable to purchase beyond the 5th inning in four of his five August appearances.

Tim Hudson’s long awaited arrival has been pushed back slightly as a result of lineup concerns regarding Nate McLouth.

As usual, Mike Hampton is going to undergo season-ending surgery. Past Madison Square Garden network president Bob Gutkowski is filing a suit against George Steinbrenner regarding the YES Network idea.

Is Ichiro Suzuki a Cooperstown bound? Luis Gonzalez formally retired last week and will now be an employee of the Diamondbacks’ front office.

The Los Angeles Times is speculating that Chone Figgins is getting ready to leave for a complimentary agent payday.

Jake Peavy’s last minor league appearance was a mess, altering his return timetable.

Zack Greinke completed a one hit game. Miguel Tejada is now said to have been tipping pitches when he was with the A’s. There’s an interesting Dominican Republic related bit here too that he is simply the sponsor for.

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Shortly after, and the LA Dodgers are limping into the home stretch. They try hurt and are not the much-loved franchise to capture the championship. They formerly happened to be a steady team. Currently, they are resembling a team composed of half decent athletes.

This is why the Dodgers picked up Jim Thome and Jon Garland via waivers. While the two players won’t provide them with a rescue, both players will supply the team with experienced role athletes who should energize the team for the playoffs.

What does a franchise do if they is unable to purchase one more big name competitor? They fill out their depth and hope that one of their role players will rise to the occasion. It’s exactly what the slumping Los angeles dodgers decided to do when they retained Thome and Garland.

Neither player should be a full-time starter come the playoffs. Still they will make the Los angeles dodgers a better franchise and should provide a spark for them when needed.

Thome is essentially a lefty power bat off the bench who might also get on base. He can no longer play 1st base as he did back in his prime. However he does have the skill to hit clutch home runs like Matt Stairs did for the Phillies in 2008.

Currently, the Dodgers have had only 114 home runs and place 12th in the NL and 24th in baseball. Their existing first baseman, James Loney, has hit only nine home runs the entire season. Thome had his ninth HR on June 1st. The LA Dodgers are a little baseball club. That won’t change with Thome offering his services as a backup, although he will give them needed muscle.

At the end of the day, some attention-grabbing enhancements for a valid contender.

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He was spreading hits while being responsible for 2 earned runs. The Tribe was trailing two-1 when the rainfall break started. The Indians did their harm subsequent to the delay in the 6th inning. Peralta went down on strikes, Valbuena reached first base, and LaPorta singled after Valbuena to put Indians on 1st and second.

LaPorta had four hits in four at bats with a two bagger to raise his hitting to a few points short of .300. Marte came to the plate next and homered the Indians to a win.

As he had 2 strikes on him, Marte did the huge job of running the count. He hit one into the stands and then took two balls before pulling one out the right field corner for a three bagger.

To me, Andy Marte is a conundrum. This season is either a rarity or it is all beginning to make sense for the young talent who is just in his 20s.

Is he finally beginning to obtain it, or is it pure and absolute a flash in the pan? I won’t feign to be a sharp enough MLB man in terms of evaluating ability to tell the Indians what they should do. However, I am constantly prone to a gambler’s belief of really any scenario.

My gambler’s instinct regarding Travis Hafner was that it happened to be a terrific idea to lock that guy up. How did I carry out on that gamble? Still, every of these wagers on skill exists in a vacuum. By that I indicate, you ‘t possibly presuppose anything concerning gambling on Marte because we lost so liberally on Hafner.

Fate is an interesting philosophy to ponder about, but in the end it only comes out when you suppose you observe it and when you’re envisioning self-fulfilling prophecies. I suppose at this interval of the game, noting how much energy Marte has cost the franchise by now, I would look to swap this lagging stock while it has a passing high point.

Sure, he may go on to his next team to turn into a dynamic competitor, but you have to hope whatever you drag back in return is still more fruitful.

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For almost all of the 2000s, Roy Oswalt has been the one mainstay on the Houston pitching staff. You could pencil him in for 15-20 wins each season and know he’d give you his finest effort every time he got the start. But it may well be time to say goodbye, not before the end of the season but during the upcoming winter.

Let me begin by saying that, the Astros have scores of reasons to show gratitude to the young pitcher from Wier, MS. Without him, the Astros would not have made two playoffs and one World Series. He’s been a straightforward guy and a powerful player. If the Astros seemed to be a team able to contend in the next few seasons, I’d hope to keep him around.

But the reality is that the Astros seem like they’ll need to strip themselves down a bit before they can advance. Since 2007, they have relentlessly tried to milk another World Series by putting older and older lineups on the field and it plainly hasn’t succeeded.

Going into next year, the Astros will have to disburse three giant salaries, all with no-trade clauses. Two of these, Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee, reveal no indication they would allow a trade. Oswalt dances around the question but it seems unmistakable he would go anywhere that could put a championship ring on his hand and blend with his standard of living.

It’s been a frustrating year for Roy who is not used to being this deep into the year and still be stuck on 7 wins. He’s in danger of not earning ten victories for the first occasion in his big league existence. He hasn’t been helped by much run support and, when he has, something has frequently kept him from getting the victory, whether it be a trivial injury, some bloopers behind him or a relief pitching collapse.

You don’t have to wonder much when he asserts he “didn’t come here to be on a middling team” and claimed, after his most recent loss in St. Louis, that the Astros are “merely going through the motions” to know he’s not pleased playing here.

So, where else might Oswalt go? I think Oswalt would have a preference to play in the South or the Midwest. Teams like Arizona, the Royals and the Twins don’t have the payroll to take Roy’s agreement. Likewise, the Marlins and the Rays would be good fits except the organizations don’t have the money.

Until a short time ago, the belief of trading Oswalt would have been met with rash denunciation but it seems clear Roy doesn’t want to continue through a reconstruction run (if there is one) and he won’t be happy about being an Astro if Cooper is still the skipper. Getting rid of his salary brings relief and flexibility to Houston’s purses which may make them a bit more brave to offer mediation to players who will bring draft prospects our way if they sign to a different place.

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The Minnesota Twins’ diminishing playoff chances took one more hit Tuesday when it was announced that All-Star first baseman Justin Morneau will be sidelined the remainder of the season.

Morneau has been dealing with back pain for weeks, although a CT scan and an MRI on Monday revealed that he has a stress fracture in his lower back.

The condition does not figure to require surgery. Physicians have informed Morneau to relax his back for the coming 3 month|fall season.

Morneau injured himself on a headfirst slide into 1st base on Friday and has not played ever since.

Before this past week’s accident, the slugging 1st baseman had already been playing through pain off and on for quite some time. As a result, his performance has declined greatly; Morneau was batting just .077 in the month of September to drop his 2009 average to .274. Prior to this slide, he was hitting above the .300 mark. Having gotten only 9 hits over a duration of 22 games, it was clear that something was amiss.

“You could play with the pain if you feel as if you are helping the franchise or doing things to help your colleagues out and win contests,” Morneau stated. “When you play and you do not feel like you are helping your team, that is when you have to take a step back and go, ‘Okay, perhaps I’m doing more harm than good.’ ”

Despite his troubles of late, Morneau finishes the 2009 campaign with 30 homers and one hundred RBIs. The HR total is higher than his ’08 total of 23.

Michael Cuddyer figures to turn out to be the primary first baseman in Morneau’s absence.

Even with the injury, Morneau remains optimistic regarding the Twins’ chances the rest of the way.

“Hopefully I’ll see the boys embark on a run here and play cheerleader and that is about it,” Morneau said.

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