Christopher Volstad is just one of many elite arms in this system.

Every few years, the Marlins decide that it is time once again to blow things up and start all over again. Usually, they at least try to win before they do so, but not this time around.  This year, they decided to blow the team up before it had the audacity to become contenders again. This time around, it would be Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis hitting the road, but not without plenty of talent coming back in return.

Now, the Marlins become even more fixated on winning later instead of now, with a pitching staff largely devoid of a veteran presence and a perennial MVP candidate ripped from the lineup. Still, there is plenty of excitement associated with the Marlins, as long as one does not worry too much about the win-loss record.

1. Cameron Maybin, Outfield

One of the best outfield prospects in the game, Maybin was the Tigers’ first round selection in the 2005 draft and he flew through the ranks this season, making his major league debut by season’s end. Between the Gulf Coast League (two games), Florida State League (83 games), and Eastern League (six games), Maybin hit .316 with 14 home runs, 53 RBI, and 68 runs scored in 323 at-bats, and he stole 25 bases in 31 attempts. Sure, his major league debut was not pretty, nor was his short time out in the AFL in 2007, but Maybin is a five-tool stud with significant potential. Maybin was one of the key players in the Cabrera/Willis deal with the Tigers, and, unlike if he had stayed in Detroit, Maybin should have a legitimate chance in Spring Training to lock up the starting center field position.

2. Christopher Volstad, Starting Pitcher

Let the starting pitcher parade begin here for the Marlins with Volstad. Volstad kicked 2007 off in the Florida State League, where he was 8-9 with a 4.50 ERA in 21 appearances, all but one as a starter. In 126 innings, Volstad struck out 93 and walked just 37. Volstad was hittable, however, as he allowed opposing batters a .293 batting average. His numbers across the board would improve in his promotion to Double-A, however, where he was 4-2 with a 3.16 ERA in seven starts, with 25 strikeouts and 10 walks in 42 2/3 innings. Volstad might start the season back in Double-A, but he should make his Triple-A debut in 2008, along with possibly his major league debut.

3. Ryan Tucker, Starting Pitcher

Selected 34th overall by the Marlins in the 2005 draft, Tucker was 5-8 with a 3.71 ERA in 24 starts in High-A with the Jupiter Hammerheads. Over 138 1/3 innings, Tucker struck out 104 and walked just 46.  Tucker did all this at just 20, having turned 21 on December 6. The Marlins will be conservative pushing their young stud here, but look for him to move up to Double-A to open the season.

4. Brett Sinkbeil, Starting Pitcher

Another arm – yes, this is a running theme with the Marlins, as they believe, correctly, you can never have too many pitchers. Sinkbeil made only fourteen starts for Jupiter in 2007, and he was 6-4 with a 3.42 ERA and a 49:14 K/BB ratio in 79 innings. The Marlins would shut down Sinkbeil due to elbow tendonitis, but he returned at the end of the year to pitch in the Hawaii Winter League, and he was 3-1 with a 1.64 ERA in eight appearances, seven as a starter, with 24 strikeouts and 16 walks in 33 innings. Sinkbeil could return to High-A, but he will pitch in Double-A no matter what at some point in 2008, with 2009 looking like a good ETA at this point.

5. Gaby Hernandez, Starting Pitcher

Yes, it is a running theme here…

Hernandez spent 2007 with the Mudcats in Double-A, where he went 9-11 with a 4.22 ERA. Over 153 2/3 innings, Hernandez struck out 113 and walked 56. The 21-year-old Hernandez (he will turn 22 on May 21) will likely open the 2008 season in Triple-A, but a spot on the major league roster is a possibility.

6. Aaron Thompson, Starting Pitcher

Seriously, at some point, we will run out of pitchers to list here…

Another high draft selection by the Marlins, Thompson was the 22nd overall selection in the 2005 draft, and he spent the season in the Florida State League with Jupiter. Over 115 innings, Thompson struck out 84 and walked just 35, and he was 4-6 with a 3.37 ERA in 20 appearances (19 as a starter). Thompson should move up to Double-A to open the season, and his ETA is 2009 at the earliest.

7. Chris Coghlan, Second Base

Finally, another position player…

A participant in the 2007 Futures’ Game, Coghlan hit .325 with 10 home runs, 64 RBI, 60 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases in 305 at-bats over 81 games for Greensboro in the Sally League before struggling after a promotion to High-A. Coghlan would turn things around in the Arizona Fall League, however, as he hit .329 with nine RBI and seven runs in 73 at-bats there. Coghlan will hit for more power with time, and he might not stay at second long, as it appears the Marlins are considering him their third baseman of the future with the departure of Cabrera. Look for Coghlan to work on his third base skills in Spring Training and then with the Double-A Mudcats. A 2008 major league debut would not be out of the question for the 2006 first rounder, but he is more likely to stick in 2009.

8. Matt Dominguez, Third Base

Then again, maybe Dominguez is the third baseman of the future. He is a superior defensive player at the position, one of the better defensive players in the system period, but he is still very much a project. Still just 18, Dominguez hit below the Mendoza Line at both the Gulf Coast League and the New York/Penn League, and he will have to show more with the bat before he can advance – like, at least hitting better than a pitcher. Look for Dominguez to return to short-season to open 2008.

9. Dallas Trahern, Starting Pitcher

We are back to starting pitching here, as we have another player acquired by the Marlins in the Cabrera trade. Trahern spent the 2007 season in Double-A, where he was 12-6 with a 3.87 ERA in 26 starts. His control numbers did suffer in Double-A, with his K/BB ratio dropping below 2:1, but he does have solid stuff, and should be on track to appear in the bigs during 2008, probably closer to midseason than the end.

10. Sean West, Starting Pitcher

West would have made the list at a much higher point had it not been for Tommy John surgery in March, 2007, causing him to miss the entire 2007 season. We have no idea how he will look when he comes back, if he will return to old form or never be the same, and what his ETA might look like. He ranks because of what he showed before the injury but no higher than here because of the injury.