Marlins Notes - July 2011

[Orioles]

• 7/8
• PLAYER NOTES
  
  After a sluggish start to the season, IBC Marlins 3B Aramis Ramirez caught fire in June and has remained so hot that neither Ice Cube nor the beer-flavored water he sells on TV could possibly cool A-ram down.
  (btw, anybody remember the "S-T-CROOKED I-D-E-S" St. Ides Malt liquor commercials? Much cooler than yelling at the silver bullet, but not as cool as the Silver Bullet Band). With 10 HR in his last 14 contests,
  Ramirez rides a scorching June into July, remaining right in line with his career May/ Jun/ Jul OPS of .779/.863/.908. Free from some of the nagging injuries that dogged him in the first half of last year, the Dominican
  slugger has already managed to eclipse his 2010 averages following a characteristically cold early spring [2011 May/Jun/Jul OPS of .725/.893/1.365]. Despite 25 HR and an .837 2nd half, Ramirez finished 2010 with
  an OPS of just 0.748, his lowest in 8 seasons as a Cub, and only his second sub-.900 mark (.898 in '08) over that stretch.
  
  3B Aramis Ramirez
  
  2011 MLB: 84 GP, 320 AB, 21 2B, 15 HR, 50 RBI, .300/.348/.506, 0.854 OPS
• PROSPECT TALK
  
  Baseball America has released its Midseason Top 50 Prospects List, featuring 4 IBC Marlins...
  
  17. Wil Myers, of, Royals
  30. Matt Harvey, rhp, Mets
  41. Jonathan Singleton, of/1b, Phillies
  43. Jarred Cosart, rhp, Phillies
  
  Myers (20, AA TEX) and Singleton (19, Hi A FSL), along with fellow Marlins farmhands 3B Wilmer Flores (19 Hi A FSL) and SS Junior Lake (21 AA SOU), rank among the 5 youngest players in their respective
  leagues. Flores began the year in the bottom half of most top-100 lists, so he can't be too far off the end of this top 50 list.
  
  Another up-and-comer in the system is Marlins 2010 2nd round pick Chad Bettis. The former Texas Tech closer and MLB Rockies 2nd-round pick's dominant pair of starts in the the Hi A Cal League earned him
  a nod in MiLB.com's Pitchers of the Week awards column...
  

  Chad Bettis, Modesto - 2-0, 1.20 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 15 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 0 HBP, 3 BB, 15 K
  Rockies prospect Chad Bettis gave up a run on a solo homer in his Monday start against San Jose,
  going seven innings and striking out eight while scattering four hits and a pair of walks. He went
  one inning longer against Lancaster on Sunday, once more allowing one run and permitting four hits
  but only walking one, this time striking out seven. Bettis' 103 strikeouts, which he's amassed over
  98 2/3 innings while walking just 27, place him second in the Cal League. (J. Jackson, MiLB.com)

[Orioles]

• 7/9
• PROSPECT TALK
  
  A couple of updates on Marlins prospects in yesterday's BA Hot Sheet, with LHP Eric Surkamp popping up "In the Team Photo" for his consistently eye-popping K and ERA numbers, along with newly re-signed
  RHP Jason McEachern who was the "Man Among Boys" after he showed he's ready to head back to full-season ball in the MWL by coming out firing in the NYPL. McEachern is still just 20 years old despite the
  Rays' slow pace with his development since being drafted as a NC prep in 2008...
  

  Giants LHP Eric Surkamp doesn't blow hitters away with heat, but he can command his breaking pitches and Eastern League hitters
  haven't figured him out. Surkamp, 23, turned in his latest gem with Double-A Richmond on Monday, striking out a season-high 11
  and allowing two hits over 5 2/3 shutout innings. He has won four straight starts and improved to 7-3, 1.61 on the year, giving him
  the third-best ERA in the minors . . .
  
  Jason McEachern, rhp, Rays: The Rays like to take it slow with their pitchers. They'd rather see a pitcher refine his craft fully at one
  level before moving him on. But in the case of McEachern, the Rays' approach may be going a little too far. McEachern, who went 2-3, 2.75
  for short-season Hudson Valley in 2009, spent the entire 2010 season in the low Class A Midwest League. Now he's back in Hudson Valley
  again, with predictable results. He has allowed one run and nine baserunners in four starts, striking out 24 in 23 innings. He has shown he's
  ready at least for a return trip to the Midwest League, and New York-Penn League hitters would likely pitch in to pay for his flight . . .
  
  (July 8 Hot Sheet, BaseballAmerica.com)

[Orioles]

• 7/25
• SEA CHANGE
  
  In their 4th full season since moving over from the AL East, the Marlins' GM finally pulled the trigger on a deal to re-shape the roster for the intricacies of NL-ball. Sadly, that meant flipping the Fish's favorite blunt instrument to back to the Americans to DH, as Florida sent left-handed slugger David Ortiz to Seattle in a blockbuster deal that netted the Marlins a long-term answer at 1B in Justin Morneau for the grinning Dominican masher and a boatload of prospect talent (Harvey, Singleton, Lake et al). Big Papi was one of a handful of key veterans remaining from the organization's original post-minidraft roster. The void created by parting with one of the IBC's top LH power hitters over the past 5 seasons will be felt immediately as the Marlins hope for a speedy return from the DL for Morneau. Pending approval of the deal, the Marlins have added Morneau, LHP Jonathan Sanchez and OFs Nyjer Morgan and Matt Joyce to bolster the team down the stretch. All of the newly acquired players expect to fit prominently into the team's plans for 2012 as well.
  
  The Marlins aren't ruling out the possibility of additional moves as the deadline approaches.

[Orioles]

• 7/28
• ROSTER NEWS
  
  The 2011 IBC Marlins after some additions for the stretch run...
  
  
  Lineup
  
  1. CF Denard Span*
  2. 2B Ian Kinsler
  3. LF Carl Crawford*
  4. SS Troy Tulowitzki
  5. 1B Justin Morneau*
  6. 3B Aramis Ramirez
  7. RF Matt Joyce*
  8. C Geovany Soto
  
  
  Bench
  
  PH Hideki Matsui* LF
  1B Garrett Jones* 1B|LF|RF
  OF Nyjer Morgan* LF|CF|RF
  OF Francisco Peguero CF|RF
  UT Ryan Adams 2B|3B|SS
  IF Ramon Hernandez C
  
  
  Others: Jason Bourgeois 2B|OF, Ramon Castro C, Wil Myers C|OF,
  Wilmer Flores 3B, Jesus Guzman UT, Micah Owings P
  
  
  
  Rotation
  
  1. Justin Verlander
  2. Max Scherzer
  3. Mark Buehrle*
  4. Jonathan Sanchez*
  5. A.J. Burnett
  
  
  Bullpen
  
  CL Joaquin Benoit
  SU Grant Balfour
  SU Arthur Rhodes*
  MR Dan Wheeler
  MR Jim Johnson
  LR Kyle Farnsworth
  
  
  Others: Jorge De La Rosa*, Dustin McGowan, Eric Surkamp*,
  Micah Owings, Brett Oberholtzer*