Besides the beaches, amusement parks, and warm Florida sun, something else is becoming an attraction in the state of Florida— baseball.
The Tampa Bay Rays and Florida Marlins are making there presence known around the league.
Last Year, these two teams didn't give their fans much to cheer about, finishing dead last in their divisions. The Marlins 20 games under .500, and the Rays went 30 under.
But this year, both are rolling.
The Rays have won four in a row and are only a game and a half back from the Red Sox with their 21-16 record.
The Marlins are leading the N.L. East and are three games up on the Mets with a record of 23-14, and by the way, they have won seven in a row.
When the Marlins traded their biggest offensive threat in Miquel Cabrera and ace Dontrell Willis, many thought this season could be worse than last. But guys like Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla have more than picked up the slack.
Ramirez is hitting .336 and Uggla .280. The two have combined for 19 homers and 48 R.B.I.s. Also, Marlins first baseman Mike Jacobs is hitting .271 with nine homers. These three have emerged as some of the better offensive threats in the National League.
On the pitching side of things, the Marlins have two aces that have carried the staff. Scott Olsen and Mark Hendrickson are a combined 9-2 overall.
Carl Crawford is the spark for the Rays. He's hitting .290 with 12 stolen bases and thirty runs scored. BJ Upton is also playing well, hitting about .300.
The Rays hurt people with great overall team speed. The pitching staff has been great for them as well. Shields is off to a 4-2 start and has had some great outings. Andy Sonnanstine has pitched well also with a 5-1 record. With Scott Kazmir coming off the DL, the Rays rotation should be solid.
Over the years, both these teams have struggled to win games and keep fans. But this year, they are off to great starts. Don't be surprised to see them right in the mix at the end of the year.
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4 months ago
Its the Rays, no devil.
4 months ago
Well, the Marlins have had a couple championships under their belt, so I don't find that that big of a surprise (although if they win it all again, look for everyone to get traded faster than their championship rings can be made), but I am surprised that the Rays actually are looking pretty good this year. Granted, I wouldn't put TOO much stock into them unless they're still in this position in at least August, but the early outlook is looking favorable for the young team in Tampa Bay.
4 months ago
Well Stuart you should get your facts straight before you go commenting with your cute little comments so you don't look like a idiot again. I'm gonna guess that you live somewhere that is no where close to South Florida and due to the lack of reporting on the Fish anywhere but South Florida you probably haven't seen that the Marlins have a stadium deal now and have signed Hanley Ramirez to a 6 year deal. And also if the Marlins won again what their payroll would go up to like 25 million? I think they don't mind paying that to a solid young group.
4 months ago
I agree with you Wayne. You make a very good point on the Hanley Ramirez deal and also the new stadium. It may seem that they trade away a lot of talent, but you are right in the fact that they always seem to have good young talent instead of one or two overpaid guns. And they must be doing something right, because they have two world series championships since their formation.
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