THOMAS JOSEPH

Despite all sources, talking heads, and the like, I believe Marlins fans must give Bendix and his team a chance to implement his strategy. It makes no sense to put this fellow in charge, someone who obviously has a strategy for the long-term competitiveness of the team, and then allow him no slack when he implements the plan - the details of which we are not privy, to note the obvious. We are also unable to assess the financial implications year over year with any certainty. Unlike the government, with competing worldviews, there is one in the Miami organization now that will prove itself fruitful or erroneous over the next few years.

I attended the three-game series in Cincinnati and talked to many Reds fans. Most have high hopes that the team has put together a young core group that can compete in their division. It's interesting to me that I hear the same issues that Marlins fans ascribe to the Sherman ownership group - unwillingness to spend, etc. Of course, the last Reds WS title was before the Marlins were created. Most fans, like their Marlins compatriots, do not connect to the previous championships. I grew up watching the Big Red Machine in Cincinnati (as an Expos fan) but most people I spoke with had no direct interaction with those great days in Reds history. My point: fans are the same all over. High-income team fans are never satisfied either, which is why I love to pester Dodger fans. They boil when I mention it has been over 35 years and billions of dollars since there was a genuine Dodger championship. So much fun!

The unfolding of the Bendix program is fascinating. We will see how smart he and his associates are. I suspect that the baseball powers hope Bendix fails thus creating another Rays-esque competition machine outside their traditional (high-priced) mechanism. It is vital for long-term baseball sustainability that some alternative strategies succeed in countering systemic inequities.

Excellent career.

Ugh. This game was certainly winnable. Games like this and the first game of the White Sox series, to mention recent ones, alternately give me hope and add to the despair. The Marlins can be competitive faster with a few positional upgrades and the healthy starting staff already under team control. On the other hand, the team's chronic issues are not easily solved. David Samson addresses these - which we all know. These issues are intertwined with baseball's systemic problems. So, I conclude that the Bendix strategy truly is the only realistic way to long-term competitiveness. If management is competent, it can work as it has elsewhere for those teams that a) recognize their structural limitations, and b) properly manipulate assets. The methodical/disciplined and (to some fans) a bit ruthless approach to player management, combined with competent personnel up and down the organization, must be pursued.

We all know that player development is a crapshoot, to use the vernacular. Besides a few outliers, baseball requires considerable refinement before competing at the top levels. This doesn't demean or diminish coaching or other improvement expertise - it simply recognizes the complexity of the process. Accordingly, a case like Berry's seems outside the organic growth one expects. Still. there are plenty of anecdotes of later development at the MLB level; not all are pitchers. Some hitters defy the natural curve, and everyone screams about it. A case in point is the current J.J. Bleday situation. It happens. On the other side is the tendency to demote someone as a guru, for example, Mel Stottlemyre, Jr., for many Marlins fans. He certainly has successes, yet we see little year-over-year improvement with players like Eddy Cabrera, who is generally recognized as loaded with natural talent. It's a crapshoot!

Marlins win the series, 2 games to 1. Jazz Chisholm, Jr. Is series MVP.

Let me say, quite honestly, that I struggle mightily with sarcasm. I don't want to be sarcastic, but the world provides too much low-hanging fruit. The temptation is not fair, and (outside of the cesspool of American politics) nowhere is that fruit lower than MLB. The most recent bushel of free fruit for me is the Jason Stark and Eno Sarris article in "The Athletic" (June 21, 2024) with the headline: "MLB offense is nearing all-time lows." Yes, Virginia, it is true. Despite all the offense-minded tinkering, the best-in-the-world hitters have a collective slash line of .241/.311/.390. The trend lines for the 2024 season indicate 1400 fewer hits, 1300 fewer runs, 800 fewer home runs, and 600 fewer doubles. You cannot be serious. Suffice it to say that the new rules are not transforming the game offensively, although the mediocrity is much faster! Yes! Starting with lowering the mound and the DH, MLB wanted/wants offensive improvements at almost any cost. Well, not PEDs, but almost any other cost. The problem is, of course, they forgot to tell or throttle the pitchers. You know, the pitchers that are dropping like flies from elbow and shoulder issues. Those guys of the prevailing litany that there is a shortage, the "injuries can't continue like this," and that a dozen or so superstar hitters are worth $350 million a season. And then, there is Ohtani and Soto. I know, thirteen-year contracts will do the trick! We can't have expansion with this dearth of pitching! Dilution! Dilution! Sorry about the sarcasm. Not. So, as usual, what are the real issues? Sigh. Let me intone the mantra: hitting a baseball is very hard (oh, most certainly), pitching training/kinesiology has exploded, hitting improves when it gets hot, blah, blah. Probably all true, but my why-hitting-sucks list is much duller and quite typically Boomer. Oh, no, gramps! Read it and weep, young whippersnappers: Lazy, uncoachable players - What did you say? I'm busy thinking about my stock portfolio, endorsements, and after-game conquests. No interest in situational hitting - My home run numbers are my meal ticket. I ain't hitting the ball to the right side. Laughable fundamentals - Bunt? What the hell is that? I don't wear all this jewelry to bunt! Lack of aggressiveness - Hey, I want to watch that homer...oops...it's in play, so I better run! Management/Coaching failures - They didn't learn that in the minors? Oh. Well, I can't disrespect a guy up here now. I could be wrong. As the "Animal House" line goes, "Well, sir, we're hoping that our midterm grades will really help our average." Sure, they will.

I think Cabrera is moved this month.

Interesting. He does have the Marlins factor in his favor. As the pundits used to say about the Expos, it's a good organization for MLB fast tracks. We'll see and that's the fun of it.

I heard that the Marlins were willing to kick in a large selection of bling for Chisholm to dole out to his new teammates as a way of ingratiating himself. They also have several hundred signed video games still in the warehouse.

Doesn't matter what the record is or who the Marlins played - that was fun!

Another of the many former Expos who also played for the Marlins.

Nice work finding that comparison footage!

I figure there will be more starts/ABs for Myer after the trade deadline. He adds hustle, aggressiveness, and timely hitting to the lineup on many occasions, not to mention his dangerous arm. Coming into the series, this game appeared to be the tough one with Crochet starting. Over that hump, we should win the series today. The article correctly lauded the Marlins' bullpen, but they could use a deep start from the returning Cabrera. Schumaker - leave him in there, no coddling today, no ridiculously low pitch count limitations. C'mon.

I find this ongoing transition to the Bendix philosophy fascinating. Watching his moves charts his strategic thought process, even if the moves are patching, as Ely noted in the Marlins IX podcast regarding Ali Sanchez. Bendix couldn't start with an entirely clean slate, of course. In addition, he has payroll limitations and contractual obligations. He is diligently working to clear things out so that he and his acolytes thoroughly remold the organization and the organizational culture. Continuing with the art metaphor, it's like a Bob Ross episode, watching the picture take shape. That's interesting to me, keeping my interest in the season (along with rooting against the Big Four). Lastly, also from the podcast, is Chisholm's centerfield defense. I agree with Geiger that Chisholm is adequate, but I would prefer that we end the whole thing with a trade in the next few weeks,

Thanks for all the information. I enjoyed the Marlins IX podcast discussion.

The mental factors of an organizational move affect players differently, of course. I have watched this guy a fair amount, and anecdotally, I get the vibe that he will be one of those guys who improbably improve as he rises the ladder. That assertion means nothing, I realize, but I am anxious to see if it plays out.

He will benefit from the ASG break or perhaps even a few weeks in the minors. He is flailing at pitches and appears not to have a good idea of the strike zone right now.

Gotta go win a Marlins sweep! MVP is DLC Thomas Joseph

True enough, although the Dodgers' deferral mechanism takes current money out of the CBT system. This circumvention is apparently legit, but it also certainly damages the principle of the tax. If baseball allows this mechanism to continue, on-field competitiveness will further suffer, creating three or four teams in each league that dominate the regular season, dampening fan involvement/expectations, and relying on the expanded playoffs to create occasional Cinderella championship teams. As Forbes magazine noted, the disparity is a sustainability issue for the league. The Marlins also borrowed $400 million in the purchase package, and it's reasonable that there were significant losses stemming from the 2020 season. Now, we have over thirty percent of the payroll non-contributing. It's a tricky situation that can only be mitigated and managed, I believe, by utilizing the Rays-esque approach Bendix is implementing.

You are right on with the three stars of the game. I thought Tyler pitched well - good movement and poise. We all are uplifted when Jesus Sanchez is like this. It's the umpteenth time for us to hope he has put it all together and will blossom. I like him, and his obvious talents, but it is tiresome. OK, I will say it anyway, perhaps he has turned the corner. Lastly, I am happy to see Hoeing return. The ChiSox are an excellent return opponent for him. Look forward to the series show tonight.

Appreciate these compilations and the podcast links - thanks.

It certainly was not a fun game to watch, especially since it seemed like the baseball gods were absolutely on Boston's side with all the rinky-dink hits. My buddy groaned at Xavier Edwards' slip early in the game, but Raphaela also slipped a bit and added some veracity to my "not his fault." A solid three-inning outing for Brazoban perked me up a bit, and I was glad to see Jesus Sanchez locked in. Otherwise, it was easy to see the trend and switch to the Blue Wahoos' game on MLB.tv where I saw Berry's nice pickup on a screamer to third and then his home run.

I just heard David Samson's podcast segment this morning (the 3rd) regarding the Tim Anderson DFA. I'm not a Samson fan (no self-respecting Expos fan can be), but I acknowledge information he provides adds to the discussion of the Marlins' financial position (even taken with the obligatory grain of salt).