Healthy Stanton-Fernandez duo can help Marlins make a big splash
— -- JUPITER, Fla. -- Two elite players on a single MLB roster can do only so much to push a team over the top. If Zack Greinke and Paul Goldschmidt could pitch and slug the Arizona Diamondbacks to success the same way John Stockton and Karl Malone pick-and-rolled their way to the Hall of Fame with the NBA's Utah Jazz, season-ticket holders in Phoenix could already feel free to book hot tub reservations at Chase Field in October.
That said, any team with a bona fide basher in the middle of the order and a true No. 1 starter has a legitimate head start toward a postseason share.
Most teams with a great hitter-pitcher tandem are destined to generate some buzz in the spring. On current MLB rosters, Washington's Bryce Harper and Max Scherzer, San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey, Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole, the Chicago Cubs' Jake Arrieta and Anthony Rizzo, the White Sox's Chris Sale and Jose Abreu, Seattle's Robinson Cano and Felix Hernandez, and Arizona's Goldschmidt-Greinke duo are prominent pairs that spring to mind. And if Justin Verlander can come close to regaining his Cy Young-MVP form of 2011, he and Miguel Cabrera will go a long way toward making the Detroit Tigers a major threat in the American League Central.
The Miami Marlins, a team known more for instability than fan appeal, also belong in the conversation as home to one of the most dynamic combinations of all. When right fielder Giancarlo Stanton and starter Jose Fernandez are producing in sync, the Marlins are strong candidates to lead the majors in "wow" factor.
Assuming Stanton is playing when Fernandez faces the Tigers in Miami's second regular-season game on April 6, it will mark the first time the two All-Stars will appear on the same lineup card since May 9, 2014. They have enough cumulative star power to eclipse Miami's Don Mattingly- Barry Bonds manager-hitting coach combination.
To this point, the Marlins have encountered too many health-related disruptions with both players. The bad news began with Fernandez, who tore his ulnar collateral ligament in May 2014 after going 12-6 with a 2.19 ERA, pocketing the rookie of the year award and finishing third in National League Cy Young Award balloting in 2013. Fernandez is fresh off two straight abbreviated seasons, and that has prompted the Marlins to devise a plan for him to throw about 180 innings and avoid the drama that accompanied the returns of fellow Tommy John surgery patients Matt Harvey and Stephen Strasburg.
Stanton was on his way to capturing a most valuable player award when he was felled by a Mike Fiers fastball to the face in September 2014. He returned to hit 27 homers in 279 at-bats last year before breaking the hamate bone in his left wrist on a swing and miss in late June. The initial prognosis called for a recovery period of four to six weeks, but Stanton never returned to the field in 2015.
Miami's two mainstays are rounding into form nicely this spring. Fernandez has 11 strikeouts in 10⅔ innings in the Grapefruit League and held the Boston Red Sox hitless over five innings in his last outing. Stanton tweaked a knee early and missed some time, but he smashed monster homers off St. Louis closer Trevor Rosenthal and Minnesota lefty Tommy Milone on consecutive days last week. Stanton's epic drive off Milone cleared an office building beyond the left-field fence at Roger Dean Stadium and landed near a picnic table adjacent to a batting cage.
"He has super-human strength, it seems like," Milone said. "His presence alone in the box is unbelievable. He's just so tall with that big, strong body, and obviously you know what he can do. You can't leave it over the middle of the plate with him, that's for sure. I learned the hard way."
In his tenure as the Los Angeles Dodgers manager, Mattingly grew accustomed to the idea of Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke atop the rotation with Adrian Gonzalez logging an .800 OPS at first base, so he understands the comfort level that a shutdown starter and proven power hitter can bring to a roster. As Milone and some of Stanton's other victims will attest, Stanton is in scoring position the moment his car rolls into the player parking lot.
"No ballpark is going to be too big," Mattingly said. "He's never worried that it's a big yard. So what? The wind is blowing in? So what? Big G is only 26, so he's still a baby. He throws well and he's a good outfielder, too. I know he hits balls so far and so hard, you have to look at that. Everybody gets wowed by it. But this guy is a well-rounded player."
Stanton has the kind of perspective on the game that only growing pains can bring. When he made his big league debut as "Mike Stanton" in Philadelphia in 2010, Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez hit him seventh in the order to ease the transition process. Stanton has since played for Edwin Rodriguez, Jack McKeon, Ozzie Guillen, Mike Redmond and Dan Jennings amid an atmosphere of constant strife in Miami.
Even when Stanton committed long-term to the organization by signing a 13-year, $325 million contract in November 2014, media outlets quickly speculated that he would exercise his opt-out clause in 2020. After the circus atmosphere surrounding the Showtime series "The Franchise," the furor over Guillen's pro-Fidel Castro remarks, Redmond's abrupt sacking last May and the ill-conceived decision to move Jennings from the front office to the dugout, it would be hard to blame Stanton for craving stability in the workplace.
On a positive note, Stanton senses a more comfortable vibe in Jupiter this spring with the arrival of Mattingly, a longtime favorite of Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, and the addition of Bonds and Tim Wallach to the coaching staff.
"There's always been a lot going on here," Stanton said. "Is this job in jeopardy? Is that job in jeopardy? The difference is, these guys have accomplished so much in the game, they don't need to be here. They want to be here. It's all about having us perform and making the best situation for us."
In contrast to Stanton, who is understated and low-profile by nature, Fernandez has generated some negative headlines for his alleged immaturity, diva antics and knack for grating on teammates and opponents alike. Against that backdrop, Mattingly is content to give Fernandez the freedom to be himself.
"You like guys that love the game, and he loves the game," Mattingly said. "He loves competing. And you know what? With some of the stuff people complain about in his past, he's 23 years old. He's a kid, and he's growing up. I've done a ton of dumb stuff in my life. It doesn't make you a bad guy."
Scouts who have monitored Miami this spring express a common theme: The Marlins have enough power arms in the rotation to be competitive in the NL East, and the bullpen should be OK even if Carter Capps' season-ending elbow injury was a significant loss. The lineup should also be better than it was last season, when the Marlins ranked 29th in the majors with 613 runs.
Miami's biggest concern is a lack of depth on the big league roster and throughout the farm system. If Stanton, outfielder Christian Yelich, shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria or any other regulars go down for an extended period, the Marlins are thin on replacements. ESPN.com's Keith Law ranks Miami's farm system 29th best in the majors, and the organization's only prospect to crack the top 100 -- pitcher Tyler Kolek -- came in at No. 97.
"I like a lot of things about that club," an American League scout said. "I think it could be a sleeper club. But they have a couple of bullpen things to figure out, and I have some concerns about their bench. There's no margin for error."
As young veterans with high profiles and an abundance of talent, Stanton and Fernandez are ready to take a step forward and lead this season. The Marlins usually find a way to make things interesting each summer. Health permitting, Miami's two young stars will try to make sure it's for all the right reasons.