After losing Miguel Cabrera and fan favorite Dontrelle Willis, the question in Marlin town is, when will this team be competitive again?  That answer may come sooner than they think.

Dan Uggla has to be first on my list.  The talented young 2nd baseman will become one of the leaders of this ballclub, especially after the departure of Cabrera and Willis.  Uggla, by his standards, had an off year in 2007, hitting .245 with 31 HR’s (19 with no one on) and 88 RBI’s but striking out 167 times.  The one stat that jumps out at me is, Uggla hit a horrendous .199 with runners in scoring position, .133 with runners in scoring position and 2 outs and, ready for this, .154 with the bases loaded.  Those numbers have to come way up if he’s going to help this team be a contender again.

Scott Olson is another player that should be worth watching in 2008.  He’s got all the talent in the world to be one of the top young pitchers in baseball, but his off the field problems have given him a reputation of not caring.  If he can turn that reputation around and lead this ballclub by example, watch this kid shine.  Olson struggled to a 10-15 record and 5.81 ERA in 2007, hitters were hitting .315 against him, a number that he’s going to really have to improve on.  If he can work on his control and movement on his pitches, he can be a very dominant pitcher for the Marlins for years to come.  If not, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Marlins try to work a deal before the trading deadline in July.

Hanley Ramirez is, arguably, one of the most exciting young players in the game to watch right now.  Ramirez had a huge year for the Marlins in 2007, hitting .332 with 29 HR’s and 81 RBI’s, even bringing his total strikeouts down from 128 in 2006 to only 95 in 2007.  When you talk about the face of a franchise, this kid’s picture is the face that the Marlins and their fans will be seeing for a long time to come….Dontrelle who?

I could talk about the Marlins’ young players until I’m blue in the face, because they’ve been an intriguing bunch for me.  Guys like Josh Willingham, Taylor Tankersley, Mike Jacobs, Josh Johnson and Jeremy Hermida.  The one player I would pick out of that bunch to be that one player to keep your eye on, without even hesitating….Taylor Tankersley.  Here’s a prediction for you, it might be bold, but I don’t think it’s going to be far off by the time his career is done.  Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, Taylor Tankersley.  He’s going to be one of the best closers this game will see for a long time.  He’s got great stuff, he’s got the mentality already to close games in the 9th inning, and he’s only 25 years of age.  He should be the Marlins’ full time closer going into 2008, if his control and ability to spot pitches is where it should be, he’s going to be a fearsome closer to deal with.

I know Marlin fans aren’t sure what they’ll see this year, and that thought process isn’t a bad one, but if this young team can come together, they can do some big things in the National League East in the next few years.

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