Five Things That Need to Happen for the Miami Marlins to Contend in 2012

Well, the Miami Marlins have honored their promise.

We heard ample talk over the past year about how, due to the fact that the Marlins were moving into a new stadium in 2012, they would be big spenders in the free agent market and be committed to building a winning team.

Miami has done just that, first hiring Ozzie Guillen (who was the team's third base coach during its World Series run in 2003) as manager, and then signing the likes of Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, and Heath Bell, not to mention making serious runs at Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson. The Marlins might not be done, either.

That said, does this team have enough to compete in what should be a very tough National League East in 2012? If these five things happen then, yes, they certainly do.

5. Logan Morrison Needs to Take a Big Step Forward

After a very impressive rookie campaign in 2010 (which saw Morrison post a .390 OBP and .837 OPS in 244 at-bats), the brash 24-year-old endured a very tumultuous 2011.

Firstly, his father passed away after a battle with cancer during the offseason. Obviously, something as tragic as that is no easy thing to overcome. LoMo decided that after every home run he hit, he would salute his father (who served in the United States Coast Guard) when he crossed home plate. He would go on to honor his dad 23 times during the 2011 season.

Then, after an extremely hot start to the season, which saw Morrison post OPSes of 1.060 and .912 in April and May respectively, he put together three very poor months, OPSing .617, .734, and .702 in the months of June, July, and August. Also, during the final month of that slump, Morrison was demoted to AAA due to some disparaging remarks he had been making through the media and Twitter, namely taking a shot at Hanley Ramirez for failing to stay healthy.

His stint in AAA did not last too long, as LoMo was promptly called back up and put together a very nice September, recording a .264/.376/.528 slash line, good for a .904 OPS. He finished the season with those 23 homers, 72 RBI, and a .247/.330/.468 slash line.

Morrison will need to step his game up in 2012. We already saw Mike Stanton break out in a gigantic way in '11. Now, it's Logan's turn.

4. Jose Reyes' Hamstrings Need to Hold Up

It is no secret that Reyes, the prize of the Marlins' offseason haul, has had to deal with nagging hamstring injuries in the past. He missed nearly all of the 2009 season because of his hamstring, and sat out 29 games in '10 and 36 in '11 due large in part to the same injury.

For a player who relies almost exclusively on his speed to be effective, Reyes' hamstrings obviously need to remain healthy.

I find it fairly alarming how much Reyes' stolen base statistics have plummeted since the hamstring problems began to occur. In 2008, Reyes' last "fully healthy" season, he stole 56 bases. In 2010 and '11? 30 and 39 (I am not even going to count '09 because he only played in 36 games).

If Reyes does stay healthy, he is going to help form one of the speediest teams in the league along with Emilio Bonifacio (who quietly had a very solid 2011) and Ramirez. If Reyes and Bonifacio can consistently get on base for the likes of Hanley and guys like Stanton, Morrison, and Gaby Sanchez in the middle of the order, Miami is going to have one heck of an offense.

3. Heath Bell Needs to Shut Down the 9th Inning

One of the biggest problems the Marlins have had in recent years has been the ninth inning. The closers they have had over the course of the past several seasons, such as Kevin Gregg and Juan Carlos Oviedo (formerly known as Leo Nunez), have been unable to consistently get the job done, and that may very well have cost Miami a playoff spot at least once.

Now, Bell, one of the best closers in the bigs, is in the fold, having signed a three-year, $27 million deal with the Fish. He will join an already talented bullpen that includes the likes of former San Diego Padres' teammates Edward Mujica and Ryan Webb, and young guns such as Mike Dunn and Steve Cishek, not to mention left-handed specialist extraordinaire, Randy Choate.

If Bell is able to hold up his end of the bargain, the Marlins may have one of the best bullpens in baseball.

2. Hanley Ramirez Needs to Keep His Mouth Shut and Play

There have been rumblings that Hanley is not too thrilled about the prospect of moving to third base to accommodate the newly-signed Reyes, and to be honest, I don't necessarily blame him. When you're as good of a player as Ramirez, you don't want to change positions during the prime of your career.

However, Hanley has to realize that this is about the team, not him, and I think he will eventually fully understand that. You can call Ramirez selfish, but I really do think he truly wants to win, and I'm sure he recognizes that moving to allow room for Reyes will be for the benefit of the Marlins as a squad.

Ramirez had a very, very disappointing 2011 campaign, but there really wasn't much he could do about it, as he battled severe back pain and then a shoulder injury that he would ultimately have to have surgically repaired (he is expected to be ready for the start of the season). Hanley displayed signs of life in July after his back injury healed, posting an .896 OPS and driving in 21 runs, but it was shortly after that that he would succumb to the shoulder injury that would end his season.

Obviously, Hanley needs to stay healthy and produce like we all know he can in 2012 for the Marlins to have a legitimate chance of winning the division.

1. Josh Johnson Needs to Stay Healthy

I don't care what moves the Marlins made (or will make) or who they have signed during the offseason; their most important player is their ace, Josh Johnson.

It's no coincidence that Miami's downfall in 2011 occurred as soon as Johnson went down with a shoulder injury that would ultimately end his season. He had been pitching lights out, better than he ever had before, and that is saying a lot. Then, the injury happened, and so ended any chance the Marlins had at contending this past season.

For Miami to seriously entertain World Series (or even division title) aspirations in 2012, Johnson absolutely has to remain in the rotation all year. When he is healthy, he is undoubtedly one of the game's best pitchers and a dominant force that a team can never afford to lose.

The only thing that has been getting in the way of what could end up being a spectacular, Hall of Fame career for Johnson has been injuries. Hopefully for the 27-year-old and the Marlins, he has better luck in '12, as this team will only go as far as Johnson, not Hanley, takes them.