Team Statistic: Despite a perception that the Marlins had trouble scoring, they finished eighth in the NL in runs scored last season.

Noteworthy: Despite being doomed with a team full of rookies, along with Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, the Marlins managed to string together a very respectable 78-84 record, with a strong pitching staff that ranked fifth in the NL in ERA.

After overachieving all year long in the NL East (until finally faltering late in the year), continued controversy between first-year manager Joe Girardi and owner Jeffrey Loria ended with Loria ultimately firing Girardi, even though Super Joe ended up with a shiny Manager of the Year trophy for his efforts.Loria decided to go with former Braves third base coach Fredi Gonzalez who will, for Loria's sake, hopefully learn of the old Golden Rule of baseball.He who has the gold rules.

Jeffrey Loria showed his desire to not employ a manager but someone who will act as a stooge in the dugout and do whatever Loria wants him to do.The Marlins are going to go with basically the same team they had last year as no major player personnel moves were made, but the farm system for this franchise will more than suffice.

Key Additions: 3B Aaron Boone, RH Henry Owens, RH Kevin Gregg.

Key Losses: 3B Wes Helms, RH Joe Borowski, RH Jason Vargas, RH Chris Resop, RH Brian Moehler.

The Marlins didn't bring in anybody who will make any kind of an impact, and they didn't lose anyone that they really needed anyway.Losing Brian Moehler is one of the best addition by subtractions any team has done all winter.Aaron Boone will serve as a backup to Cabrera and Mike Jacobs, but other than that there's nothing that really occurred during the winter months for Larry Beinfest and company.

The Marlins go through another year with a very solid pitching staff second in the division only to the Phils.The bullpen is a certain weakness, where it looks as if Taylor Tankersley will be closing out ballgames to begin the year, but that can change at any time.Fredi Gonzalez will be tested countless times on the use of his pen without any real go-to guys.

Overall Strengths: The Marlins finished fifth in runs allowed last season among NL teams.

Overall Weaknesses: The Marlins had trouble getting on base last season, finishing 12^th in the NL with a .331 OBP.

Rookie Sensation: CF Alejandro De Aza.

IN THE FIELD

Projected Lineup

1. Hanley Ramirez, SS
2. Danny Uggla, 2B
3. Miguel Cabrera, 3B
4. Josh Willingham, LF
5. Jeremy Hermida, RF
6. Mike Jacobs, 1B
7. Miguel Olivo, C
8. Alejandro De Aza, CF

CATCHER: Just when you thought Miguel Olivo's patience couldn't get any worse, guess what?Olivo lost whatever patience he had at the plate.He walked a grand total of nine times in 452 plate appearances, a total you could only find in a true video game walk rate.He struck out almost 12 times as much as he walked, not to mention swinging at exactly half of all first pitches he saw, but he ended up tied for third in homers for all NL backstops and gave owners at least one reason to keep him around.Olivo doesn't hit that many flyballs to begin with, and his home park isn't exactly a home run haven.

FIRST BASE: I didn't like Mike Jacobs when he came up with the Mets, andI still don't like him.He's a great platoon player, but when you feel the need to sit someone each time they face a lefthander, that player isn't too inviting.Jacobs had an .859 OPS against righthanders which is solid, but not when it's paired with a .529 OPS vs. southpaws.Facing too many lefties this season could force Jacobs to have less at-bats or a lower average than last season.

SECOND BASE: One of the most interesting players in all of baseball after being chosen in the Rule V draft, Dan Uggla went on to belt 27 homers with an .819 OPS, not to mention set a Marlins franchise record for home runs by a second baseman.This was Uggla's career year though, something he's not about to repeat in 2007.For one, he was terrible down the stretch, posting a .760 OPS, an obvious combination of learning to adjust to the extended schedule and major league pitchers figuring him out halfway through the season.His late-season stats could be an indication that pitchers are starting to adjust to Uggla, which is bad news for him this season.

THIRD BASE: The crown jewel of the franchise and future $200 million man for somebody else, Miguel Cabrera has incredible potential.His OPS has climbed over the last three seasons over 100 points to .998. The last three seasons his BaBIP has been way over .340.Cabrera's walk rate has climbed through the roof the last three years while cutting down on his strikeout rate in the process.That's like gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time. In theory it seems impossible, but the best of them can do it anyway.

SHORTSTOP: One look at Hanley Ramirez's splits tells the full story.He struggled before the All-Star break, stealing 26 bases but posting just a .744 OPS.He wasn't getting on base enough.He had to have made some kind of adjustments though, because he ended up hitting almost twice as many homers after the break as before, while improving his OPS by almost 200 points.The tandem of Ramirez/Cabrera will rival Reyes/Wright for years to come.Ramirez' second half OPS (.931) is cause to believe it will transfer into 2007 and continue to improve.Another 50 steals is likely, and he's so quick that he will continue to get on base whenever he puts the ball into play.

OUT IN THE GRASS

LEFT FIELD: Josh Willingham really surprised me last season, posting a near-.500 slugging percentage and 56 XBH. Even though he was a bit old for a rookie at 27, he should continue his power streak into the better part of 2007.He actually got better as the season went along, as his slugging percentage was over .500 in each of the last three months of the 2006 season.He should continue to hit 20-plus homers and improve upon his BB/K ratio, while providing as an adequate protection for Miguel Cabrera.It's odd to think of it, but Willingham seems ancient in this lineup.

CENTER FIELD: Alejandro De Aza has come from obscurity to win the center field job in spring training.The 22-year-old spent most of last season in Double-A, hitting .278 with 27 steals in less than 300 at-bats.The speed could make him a very nice buy in deep NL-only leagues, but the Marlins still have plenty of replacements should De Aza struggle out of the gate.The next player in line is likely to be Eric Reed, a speedster that is far more well known to prospect prognosticators but hardly possessing a skill set superior to De Aza.

RIGHT FIELD: Everyone has gushed over Jeremy Hermida's ability at 23-years-old.Last season I showed up extra early at Marlins games just to watch him take batting practice, and he never disappointed, always putting on a good show.However, that didn't exactly carry over into the games last year.A player with his much ability who absolutely tore up the minor leagues can't be this bad in the big leagues.I'd look for a big spike across the board based on minor league production, but Hermida could start the year on the DL with a knee bruise.