X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Miami Marlins Fantasy Baseball Prospects Progress For 2014

 

Checking in with Yelich, Stanton, Marisnick & Ozuna

rotoballer-fantasy-baseball-advice-giancarlo-stanton

The Miami Marlins, a team that had a $35.7 M payroll in 2013, were pretty hard to watch on most nights in 2013, to put it bluntly. Sure, they had Giancarlo Stanton, who started the year on the disabled list, Jose Fernandez the phenom who took the league by storm on his way to an All Star appearance, and ridiculously nasty closer Steve Cishek, but other than that, there wasn't much to see.

From a fantasy perspective, it was even worse, as prospect Marcell Ozuna went down with a season-ending injury in July, Nathan Eovaldi, the prize piece from the Dodgers trade, was also in and out of the lineup, and starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez only made 17 starts after coming over in the Josh Johnson/Jose Reyes trade with the Blue Jays. Miami was a graveyard for fantasy owners in 2013, but in 2014 all of that could change. With the likes of Stanton, Alvarez, Ozuna and Fernandez, as well as Christian Yelich and possibly Jake Marisnick a year older and a year wiser, some impact players could pop up in Miami and help you win your fantasy leagues.

 

Giancarlo Stanton

Stanton has been a darling of those in-the-know fantasy players since 2009 when Peter Gammons described him as the most impressive player he had seen in any Spring Training camp in all of baseball. He was 19 at the time, and from a raw talent perspective, that claim could still hold true, although Mike Trout would probably have something to say about that. No one can doubt the immense power and overall talent that Stanton possesses, but Stanton has only cracked the 130-game barrier once in his four-year career, although his first year he was a midseason call up who played 100 games. Durability concerns aside, Stanton's batting average regression last season was alarming. A year after batting .290 and clubbing 37 home runs in 123 games, Stanton went back down to .249, below the .260 mark he had posted his first two years. Many claim that the ballpark dimensions and lineup he was in caused the slide. This could be true, but he will still be playing in the same ballpark and in the same lineup, although a full year with Yelich in the lineup (more on him later) should help. Stanton is currently being drafted around the bottom of the second round in fantasy leagues for 2014, around the likes of Carlos Gomez, Yasiel Puig, Jay Bruce and Jose Bautista. I can't say anyone on that list is a surefire bet to pay off at that slot, so Stanton is pretty much going where he should go. If he hits 45 home runs and drives in 110 (which he was on pace to do in 2012 despite missing 40 games due to injury), then this is a slam-dunk pick. But if he hits 30 home runs and bats .250, like he would have last year if he had played a full season, you may be kicking yourself in September for taking him there and not waiting a round or two for someone like Shin-Shoo Choo. I have always been a fan of Stanton, and I've targeted him since his debut, but I will be staying away in 2014. I need to see more from such a high pick, and I would prefer to take the year off from Stanton and wait to see if he ends up elsewhere for 2015, as most Marlins do not stay in Florida for too long.

 

Christian Yelich

Yelich's sweet left-handed swing has been causing quite a stir in fantasy circles since his debut at the end of last season. Yelich has a swing that produces line drive after line drive, and his plus approach at the plate leaves him producing quality at bat after quality at bat, but the main cause for concern is will the power come? After two Futures Game appearances, receiving a tag as the man with the minor leagues' best swing, and putting up an absolutely ridiculous showing in 2013 Spring Training, the kid gloves are off for Yelich in 2014. At 22 years old, Yelich will start to show us what his ceiling will be. Is he going to be a .315 / 30-HR / 15-SB guy? Or is he going to be another Andre Ethier and tease us with a great stroke while never really filling into his body and struggling to hit 20 homers a year at the big-league level? In talking with some of Yelich's minor league teammates, it is without question that Yelich has the day to day approach to succeed in the big leagues, and many of them feel like Yelich will grow into his body and become a bonafide superstar. So what does that mean for 2014? Well, Yelich's ADP is around the 14th round, but I have seen him go as high as 73rd overall, and he is being drafted right around the likes of Brett Gardner and Alejandro De Aza when it comes to outfielders. At that spot, I would feel safer with Gardner, but if I got beat out for an outfielder or two earlier in my draft and I was in need of a boom-or-bust type player here, Yelich would be my guy. His swing is going to play, and he could steal up to 15 bags, although a knock on him is that he has clumsy feet.  He should not kill you in any category, as I suspect he will be hitting in the middle of the order for the Marlins and should have enough opportunities to drive in around 75-80 runs. The major question there will be whether he can hit enough home runs to justify his lack of top-end steal and RBI production? I'd bet yes, that he will hit at least 20 home runs this year. I am very bullish on Yelich, as I am sucker for a sweet left-handed stroke, but trust me on this: whether or not he is an impact fantasy player, his swing puts fear into pitchers. Those guys generally end up figuring out how to drive the ball, or end up figuring out how to hit .330 every year, and with the way these young twenty-somethings have been taking over the league, I'm earmarking Yelich as the next one to step into this category. If the power does not come in 2014, it will in his future.

 

Marcell Ozuna

Ozuna was a surprise starter on Opening Day in 2013, as the play of Christian Yelich certainly garnered attention in Spring Training, and many thought he would get the call to replace the injured Giancarlo Stanton. Ozuna displayed some really solid athleticism in the outfield before going down with a season-ending injury to his thumb. He also showed a propensity for trying to hit everything thrown his way, and opened eyes during batting practice each day, as he is the type of hitter who can pop balls out to right-center field with just a flick of his wrists. In talking with some of his former teammates, everyone was in agreement that outside of Stanton, Ozuna possesses the best raw power of any of the Marlins' young players, but they were also in agreement that he had the worst approach of any of the guys on this list, and some even said that his biggest shortcoming was that he believes he can hit any pitch, much like Vladimir Guerrero. In today's game with the arsenals opposing pitchers now have at their disposal, that type of approach is going to send you into long slumps over the course of 162 games. Ozuna looks like he will be the Marlins' Opening Day center fielder, so the opportunities will be there for him to show what he can do, but it remains to be seen if he is capable of making the adjustments needed to put up solid numbers over a full season in the big leagues. From what my sources have told me, it would be best to take a wait-and-see approach with Ozuna, especially coming off a hand injury, from which it can take as much as two years to regain all of your strength. I am not going to be drafting Ozuna this year, but the talent is great enough that I cannot argue with you if you choose to. Just be prepared for some prolonged slumps, and a lot of flailing at breaking balls low and away.

 

Jake Marisnick

Marisnick came over to the Marlins last offseason as part of the package for Jose Reyes and company from the Toronto Blue Jays. He is a 6'3" 225-lb. rock that possesses solid raw power, as well as above-average speed. He was called up to the majors in 2013 after injuries ravaged the Marlins, and he fell flat, batting .183 with one home run and three stolen bases in 109 AB. He is also going to be blocked for playing time in Miami by Stanton, Yelich and Ozuna, but Marisnick should be the first man called up if one of these guys gets hurt or if Ozuna struggles mightily at the dish.  Marisnick did manage an OPS of .860 in Double-A before moving up, which is a high number for someone with 30-steal potential, so the book is certainly not closed on him, but it will be interesting to see what kind of start he gets off to this year. As Rocky has been sure to let us know over the last 30 years, life is all about what you do when you get back up after you have been knocked down, and that .183 average in his first taste of big-league action was surely a knockdown in his career. He could be a really nice free agent addition in your fantasy leagues if he gets off to a big-time start down in the minors, which is where I project him to go to start 2014.  Ozuna is no sure thing, and Stanton will be on trade watch up until the last minute of the trading deadline, so lay off Marisnick in your drafts, but be sure to watch him closely as the season develops.

 

2014 Miami Marlins Prospects - Final Conclusion

The Marlins are not a team to target if you're heading to Vegas to place a futures wager on this year's World Series champion, but with their solid young pitching, attractive closer and solid young hitting, you may be able to strike gold by rostering a few Marlins in 2014. I'm hoping it's Yelich that steps up, but any of these guys could certainly make in impact in fantasy baseball for 2014.

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Marquise Brown3 hours ago

Nearing A Return To Practice
Tyreek Hill3 hours ago

Limited Again With Wrist Injury
Mitch Keller5 hours ago

Jared Jones, Mitch Keller Available For Trade
Shane Bieber5 hours ago

Throwing From 90 Feet
Jimmy Butler6 hours ago

Reportedly Open To A Move To Phoenix
Scottie Barnes6 hours ago

To "Miss Several Weeks"
Kenneth Walker III6 hours ago

Unable To Practice Wednesday
Bucky Irving7 hours ago

Sits Out Of Wednesday's Practice
Mike Evans7 hours ago

Misses Wednesday's Practice
NFL7 hours ago

Bill Belichick Joins North Carolina
Tony Pollard8 hours ago

Misses Wednesday's Practice
Justin Herbert8 hours ago

Doesn't Practice On Wednesday
Breece Hall8 hours ago

Starts Off The Week With A DNP
Trey McBride8 hours ago

Limited With Knee Injury On Wednesday
Chris Olave8 hours ago

Could Return Later This Season
Alvin Kamara9 hours ago

Does Not Practice On Wednesday With Illness
Isaac Guerendo9 hours ago

Questionable For Thursday Night
Ladd McConkey9 hours ago

Practicing On Wednesday
Cam Talbot9 hours ago

Set To Return On Thursday
Romeo Doubs9 hours ago

Still In Concussion Protocol But Practices In Full
Yanni Gourde10 hours ago

Misses Wednesday's Practice
Kenneth Walker III10 hours ago

Considered Day-To-Day
David Gustafsson10 hours ago

In Concussion Protocol
Justin Herbert10 hours ago

Dealing With Ankle, Leg Injuries
Linus Ullmark10 hours ago

Takes On Low-Scoring Ducks
Leo Carlsson10 hours ago

Returns From Six-Game Absence
Igor Shesterkin10 hours ago

Faces Sabres On Wednesday
Mattias Samuelsson10 hours ago

Available On Wednesday
George Pickens11 hours ago

Not Practicing To Begin Week 15
Chicago White Sox11 hours ago

Braden Montgomery Traded To White Sox
Sincere McCormick11 hours ago

Named Raiders Starter Moving Forward
Kyle Teel11 hours ago

White Sox Land Catching Prospect Kyle Teel
Garrett Crochet11 hours ago

Red Sox Acquiring Garrett Crochet From White Sox
Kyle Tucker11 hours ago

Astros Targeting Seiya Suzuki, Isaac Paredes In Potential Kyle Tucker Trade
NFL12 hours ago

Bill Belichick Finalizing Deal To Coach At North Carolina
Joe Burrow12 hours ago

Dealing With Knee Soreness, Will Practice This Week
Seattle Mariners13 hours ago

Mariners, Ichiro Suzuki To Make Push For Roki Sasaki
Dylan Cease14 hours ago

Orioles Interested In Acquiring Dylan Cease
Luis Robert Jr.14 hours ago

Reds Interested In Luis Robert Jr.
Marcus Johansson14 hours ago

Records Season-High Three Points Versus Utah
Robert Thomas15 hours ago

Collects Three Points In Tuesday's Win
Mark Scheifele15 hours ago

Continues Home Success Against Bruins
Jonathan Marchessault15 hours ago

Pots Two Goals Versus Flames
Nathan MacKinnon15 hours ago

Mikko Rantanen Crush Penguins
Roman Josi15 hours ago

Suffers A Lower-Body Injury
Andrew Wiggins15 hours ago

On Track To Return On Wednesday
Fred VanVleet16 hours ago

Expected To Return On Wednesday
Alperen Sengün16 hours ago

Alperen Sengun Questionable For Wednesday
De'Andre Hunter16 hours ago

Likely To Feature Against Knicks
Bogdan Bogdanovic16 hours ago

In Danger Of Missing Another Game
Jalen Johnson16 hours ago

Carries A Questionable Tag
Josh Hart16 hours ago

Iffy For Wednesday's Cup Game
Jake Burger1 day ago

Rangers Acquire Jake Burger From Marlins
Karl-Anthony Towns1 day ago

Expected To Face Atlanta
Trae Young1 day ago

Probable Again For Wednesday
P.J. Washington1 day ago

Won't Suit Up Versus OKC
Naji Marshall1 day ago

Returning On Tuesday Night
Washington Nationals1 day ago

Nationals Win MLB Draft Lottery
Nathan Eovaldi1 day ago

Reunites With Rangers On Three-Year Deal
Andrés Giménez1 day ago

Blue Jays Acquire Andres Gimenez From Guardians
Max Fried1 day ago

Yankees Agree On Eight-Year, $218 Million Contract
Joey Daccord1 day ago

Faces Panthers On Tuesday
Cole Sillinger1 day ago

Available On Tuesday
Erik Cernak1 day ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Anthony Cirelli1 day ago

Doubtful For Tuesday's Matchup
Jake Allen1 day ago

Unavailable On Tuesday
David Pastrnak1 day ago

Good To Go Tuesday
Max Domi1 day ago

Ready To Rejoin Action Tuesday
Grayson Rodriguez1 day ago

Will Be A "Full-Go" For Spring Training
Thairo Estrada1 day ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Colorado
Max Fried1 day ago

Nearing His Free-Agent Decision
Paul Goldschmidt1 day ago

Tigers Showing Interest In Paul Goldschmidt
Carlos Correa1 day ago

Twins Receiving Calls On Carlos Correa
Christian Walker1 day ago

Yankees Making A Push For Christian Walker
Kyle Tucker1 day ago

Cubs, Yankees Showing Interest In Kyle Tucker
Lonzo Ball2 days ago

Has Minutes Restriction Increased
Jaden Hardy2 days ago

Misses Second Straight Game
Naji Marshall2 days ago

Considered Questionable For Tuesday's Cup Action
Jaylin Williams2 days ago

Remains Out On Tuesday
Karl-Anthony Towns2 days ago

Returns With Winning Performance
Scottie Barnes2 days ago

X-Rays On Scottie Barnes' Ankle Negative
Taylor Hall2 days ago

Enjoys Multi-Point Outing Versus Rangers
Immanuel Quickley2 days ago

To Get Additional Testing
Maxi Kleber2 days ago

Won't Play On Tuesday
Alexandre Pantoja2 days ago

Gets Second-Round Win At UFC 310
Kai Asakura2 days ago

Submitted At UFC 310
Alexander Volkov2 days ago

Takes Split-Decision Loss
Ciryl Gane2 days ago

Edges Out Split Decision At UFC 310
MMA2 days ago

Doo Ho Choi Scores TKO Win At UFC 310
Nate Landwehr3 days ago

Gets TKO'd At UFC 310
Kron Gracie3 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC 310
Bryce Mitchell3 days ago

Scores Knockout Win At UFC 310
Ian Machado Garry3 days ago

Suffers First Defeat At UFC 310
Shavkat Rakhmonov3 days ago

Remains Undefeated After UFC 310
Kai Asakura5 days ago

Competes For UFC Flyweight Title
Alexandre Pantoja5 days ago

Set For Third Title Defense At UFC 310
Ciryl Gane5 days ago

Set For Heavyweight Clash
Alexander Volkov5 days ago

Looks For His Fifth Win In A Row
MMA6 days ago

Doo Ho Choi An Underdog At UFC 310

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
David Montgomery - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

High-Value Touches and Opportunities - Fantasy Football Underperformers, Overperformers (Week 15)

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to my weekly series, "High-Value Touches and Opportunities," for Week 15 of the 2024 fantasy football season. We're in the fantasy football playoffs, hope we survive through Week 17 or 18. It's crunch time, and we'll want to pay attention to the news, noise, and trends, especially in the high-value opportunities.  Touchdowns […]


Video: Week 15 Must-Start Defense (D/ST) Streamers - 2024 Fantasy Football Start/Sit Analysis

With most leagues headed into the fantasy football playoffs, we're bringing the heat for Week 15! Check out our top 2024 fantasy football must-start Defenses (D/ST) and be prepared to dominate your playoff matchups! LaQuan Jones discusses his top "Must Start" Defense (D/ST) streamers that have the potential to be game-changers in Week 15, as […]


Von Miller Buffalo Bills Defense - Fantasy Football DST, Defense Streamers, Waiver Wire IDP

Top Fantasy Football Playoffs D/ST Rankings (Weeks 15, 16, 17) - Defense Streamers and Starts

Welcome RotoBallers to our fantasy football playoffs D/ST streamers and starts for Weeks 15, 16, and 17. The fantasy football playoffs are right around the corner, and now is the perfect time to line up your fantasy defenses for the rest of the year. Getting ahead of your league mates and picking up defenses that […]


Jauan Jennings - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Targets - Buy/Sell For Week 15 Including Davante Adams, T.J. Hockenson, Jauan Jennings, Isiah Pacheco

Well, RotoBallers, we made it. The fantasy playoffs are officially here. Because we're talking dynasty, you of course don't need to have made the playoffs to take something away from this column, but congratulations if you did! Even if you have a bye in Week 15, there are plenty of reasons to stay active and […]


Tua Tagovailoa - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Matchups We Love - Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Week 15 Include Justin Herbert, Tua Tagovailoa, Kyren Williams, Terry McLaurin, more

The fantasy playoffs are finally here for leagues that use single elimination. The fun is just beginning as we finally get to see all our hard work through. As such, we need to focus on the best matchups this week. Any edge matters in the fantasy playoffs because any team can get hot at the […]


George Pickens - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL injury News

Fantasy Football WR Injury Reports: Week 15 Updates For George Pickens, Chris Olave, Rashod Bateman, Cedric Tillman

Welcome to the fantasy football playoffs! A healthy roster is the best roster, so let's hope your wide receivers are ready to play. To keep close tabs on all of the news across the NFL, make sure to favorite or bookmark the fantasy football player news page. Also, download the free RotoBaller fantasy football mobile […]


Adam Thielen - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Fantasy Football WR Sleepers: Smash Spots for Week 15 Include Calvin Ridley, Adam Thielen, Khalil Shakir, Jakobi Meyers

Week 15, here we come. Whether this is the opening week of your fantasy playoffs, your last week of the regular season, or a bye week, we’ve made it to the end of the fantasy season.  Last week, we nailed our WR calls, smashing Jauan Jennings (seven receptions, 92 yards, two TDs) and Darnell Mooney […]


Bo Nix - Fantasy Football Rankings, QB, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

Fantasy Football Matchups to Target, Avoid (Week 15) - Offensive Line Champs and Chumps

The fantasy playoffs are finally here. Making the fantasy playoffs is a huge achievement that requires good drafting, diligent waiver wire moves, and strong matchup analysis. If your team is in the playoffs, the hard part is just getting started. Winning a fantasy championship requires shooting for upside each week and exploiting every available matchup […]


Jordan Addison - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers - Week 15

As Adam says, Week 14 of the 2024 season is in the books. That means another week of cold, hard data to analyze. We’ll try not to overreact but instead, use logic and reasoning as the foundation for our decision-making in the weeks ahead. I'm Joe Nicely and I'll be pinch-hitting for the great Adam […]


Chase Brown - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Rest-of-Season Fantasy Football Rankings: Week 15 Updates for Top 200 (2024)

Many of you are planning for the fantasy football playoffs, so we must deliver an updated rest-of-season rankings sheet! While many of you are only concerned with the current week, one should also consider all remaining games. That's what we're here to provide with our Week 15 fantasy football half-PPR rankings for the rest of […]


Puka Nacua - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Rams vs. 49ers TNF Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Matthew Stafford, Isaac Guerendo, George Kittle, Jauan Jennings

The 2024 fantasy football playoffs are officially upon us and they kick off with the Los Angeles Rams visiting the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football. Both teams are coming off dominant offensive performances (Rams scored 44 points in Week 14, 49ers scored 38), and this matchup could not be more important for NFL […]


Zach Charbonnet - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL DFS and Betting Picks

Fact or Fiction: Fantasy Football Outlooks for Zach Charbonnet, Isaac Guerendo, Jalen McMillan, Tim Patrick, Juwan Johnson

Josh Allen scored 51.9 fantasy points in Week 14. It was a huge game for Allen and was a surprising result because of just how many points were scored, but it's not like we didn't know Allen was an elite player. What was more surprising? The top two fantasy running backs this week were Zach […]


Bucky Irving - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For NFL RBs: Week 15 Updates for Kenneth Walker III, Isaac Guerendo, Bucky Irving, Jonathon Brooks

Below is our fantasy football injuries report for running backs in Week 15, as of December 11. The injury statuses for various NFL running backs are up in the air for Week 15, including Kenneth Walker III, Isaac Guerendo, Bucky Irving, and Jonathon Brooks. As the fantasy football season continues, every decision, transaction, and lineup […]