The Miami Marlins signed 41-year old Mike Redmond to replace Ozzie Guillen (fired after one season) as the new manager.  He has only one year of managing experience as he led Toronto’s A-ball team in Dunedin to a 78-55 (58.6%) record.  Redmond played seven years for the Marlins as a backup catcher, and he won a World Series’ ring as the backup catcher for the 2003 champions.  Redmond will be under no pressure to win right away due to the fire sale the Marlins had over the winter.

The Marlins are set up well at the back end of the bullpen, but they will need four or five other reliever to step up in 2013.  26-year old righty Steve Cishek is going to be the Marlins’ closer in 2013.  He pitched in 68 games (0 starts) for the Marlins last year and he was 5-2 with 15 saves, a 2.69 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 116 games (0 starts) in his first three years with the Fish and he is 7-3 with 18 saves, a 2.57 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.  34-year old righty Jon Rauch will be Cishek’s top set-up man in 2013.  He pitched in 73 games (0 starts) for the Mets last year and he was 3-7 with 4 saves, a 3.59 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP.  Rauch has now pitched in 541 games (11 starts) in his first 10 years in the majors and he is 42-38 with 62 saves, a 3.80 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.  Rauch is also going to be an insurance policy in case Cishek isn’t up to closing.  27-year old lefty Mike Dunn could be an outstanding pitcher, if he trusted his stuff and started throwing more strikes.  Dunn pitched in 60 games (0 starts) for the Marlins last year and he was 0-3 with 1 save, a 4.91 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 161 games (0 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 7-9 with 1 save, a 3.81 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP.  27-year old righty Ryan Webb also is very talented, but he also needs to throw more strikes.  Webb pitched in 65 games (0 starts) for the Marlins last year and he was 4-3 with a 4.03 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 200 games (0 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 11-9 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP.  34-year old righty Chad Qualls was signed over the winter on a minor league deal.  He pitched in 52 games (0 starts) for the Phillies, Pirates and Yankees last year and he was 1-1 with a 5.20 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 597 games (0 starts) in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 40-35 with 51 saves, a 3.92 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.  25-year old lefty Dan Jennings didn’t look too bad in his first taste of the majors last year.  He pitched in 22 games (0 starts) for the Marlins last year and he was 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP.  He also pitched in 42 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball last year and he was 1-3 with 2 saves, a 3.14 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP.  28-year old righty Chris Hatcher came up as a catcher and know he is the Marlins’ #21 prospect coming into this season according to Baseball America…..as a relief pitcher.  Hatcher pitched in 11 games (0 starts) for the Fish last year and he was 0-0 with a 4.30 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 22 games (0 starts) in his first two years in the majors and he is 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP.  28-year old lefty Scott Maine is going to try to snag a spot in the Marlins’ pen this spring.  Maine pitched in 30 games (0 starts) for the Indians and Cubs last year in which he was 2-3 with a 6.08 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 50 games (0 starts) in his first three years in the majors and he is 2-3 with a 5.59 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP.  24-year old righty Sam Dyson pitched in the minors for new Marlins’ manager Mike Redmond in Toronto’s minor league system last year.  He pitched in 39 games (6 starts) in A+AA-ball last year and he was 4-2 with 9 saves, a 3.04 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP.  He also got his first taste of the majors last year, working in 2 games (0 starts) for the Blue Jays in which he was 0-0 with a 40.50 ERA and a 9.00 WHIP.  26-year old righty Jose Ceda missed all of last season due to Tommy John surgery.  He is almost ready to return to action and he comes into this season as the Marlins’ #27 prospect according to Baseball America.  He last pitched in the majors in 2011 for the Marlins.  Ceda has now pitched in 25 games (0 starts) in his first two years in the majors and he is 0-1 with a 4.66 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP.  30-year old Jonathan Albaladejo will also get a shot to snag a job in the Marlins’ pen this spring.  He pitched in 3 games (0 starts) for the D-Backs last year and he was 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP.  He also pitched in 49 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball last year and he was 5-3 with 25 saves, a 3.65 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 66 games (0 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 6-3 with a 4.34 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BULLPEN IN 2013:  C-

The Marlins are going to be going young in the starting rotation in 2013.  30-year old righty Ricky Nolasco will be the “ace” of the staff, if he isn’t dealt before opening day.  Nolasco pitched in 31 games (all starts) for the Marlins last year and he was 12-13 with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 195 games (179 starts) in his first 7 years in the majors and he is 76-64 with a 4.49 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.  22-year old righty Henderson Alvarez will likely be the Marlins’ #2 starter in 2013.  He came over from the Blue Jays in the big salary dump deal over the winter.  Alvarez pitched in 31 games (all starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 9-14 with a 4.85 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP.  Alvarez has now pitched in 41 games (all starts) in his first two years in the majors and he is 10-17 with a 4.52 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP.  A change of leagues could really benefit Alvarez for 2013 and the future.  23-year old righty Nathan Eovaldi is a favorite for one of the last three spots in the Marlins’ rotation for 2013.  He pitched in 22 games (all starts) for the Dodgers and Marlins last year in which he was 4-13 with a 4.30 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 32 games (28 starts) in his first two years in the majors and he is 5-15 with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP.  21-year old righty Jacob Turner has a nice upside.  He pitched in 10 games (all starts) for the Tigers and Marlins last year and he was 2-5 with a 4.42 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 13 games (all starts) in his first two years in the majors and he is 2-6 with a 5.19 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.  Turner is one of the better prospects around and he could excel in the near future with the Marlins.  28-year old lefty Wade LeBlanc is a soft-tosser.  He pitched in 25 games (9 starts) for the Marlins last year and he was 2-5 with a 3.67 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 79 games (61 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 19-27 with a 4.38 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.  LeBlanc is the favorite for the #5 slot in the Marlins’ starting rotation right now.  22-year old lefty Brad Hand will also get a shot this spring to win a rotation spot.  He pitched in 1 game (1 start) for the Fish last year and he was 0-1 with a 17.18 ERA and a 3.27 WHIP.  He also pitched in 27 games (all starts) in AAA-ball for the Marlins last year and he was 11-7 with a 4.00 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP.  Hand has now pitched in 13 games (all starts) in his first two years with the Marlins and he is 1-9 with a 4.95 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP.  24-year old righty Alex Sanabia should make the Marlins’ pitching staff in some capacity in 2013.  He pitched in 18 games (all starts) in Rookie+AAA-ball for the Marlins last year and he was 6-7 with a 3.93 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP.  Sanabia last pitched for the Marlins in 2011.  He has pitched in 18 games (14 starts) in his first two years with the Marlins and he is 5-3 with a 3.67 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP.  28-year old righty Kevin Slowey, 29-year old righty Mitch Talbot and 31-year old righty John Maine are all longshots to make the starting rotation, but they could surprise if healthy.  Slowey pitched in 8 games (all starts) in AAA-ball for the Indians last year and he was 3-3 with a 5.14 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP.  He last pitched in the majors back in 2011 with the Minnesota Twins.  Slowey has pitched in 100 games (90 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 39-29 with a 4.66 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.  Talbot didn’t pitch in the United States last year.  He last pitched in the majors in 2011 with the Indians.  Talbot has now pitched in 43 games (41 starts) in his first three years in the majors and he is 12-19 with a 5.30 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP.  Maine pitched in 16 games (15 starts) in AAA-ball for the Yankees last year and he was 8-5 with a 4.97 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP.  Maine last pitched in the majors back in 2010 with the Mets.  Maine has pitched in 108 games (105 starts) in his first seven years in the majors and he is 41-36 with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE STARTING ROTATION IN 2013:  C-

If anyone pitches to 23-year old righty swinging RF Giancarlo Stanton, he’s going to have a big year for the Marlins.  Stanton played in 123 games for the Marlins last year and he was 130 of 449 (.290 avg, .969 OPS) with 75 runs scored, 37 homers, 86 RBIs and 6 stolen bases.  Stanton played in 117 games (116 starts) in RF for the Marlins last year and he had 6 assists and 7 errors there while showing out of this world range there.  Stanton has now played in 373 games in his first three years in the majors and he is 358 of 1,324 (.270 avg, .903 OPS) with 199 runs scored, 93 homers, 232 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.  Stanton is going to need to stay patient at the plate, because I don’t think teams are going to challenge him too much in 2013.  32-year old Austin Kearns will be Stanton’s likely top backup in RF in 2013.  He played in 12 games (11 starts) for the Marlins in RF last year and he had 0 assists or errors there while showing out of this world range.  25-year old righty swinging Gorkys Hernandez could win a backup job for the Marlins, if he has a good spring.  He played in 70 games for the Pirates and Marlins in his first taste of the majors last year and he was 30 of 156 (.192 avg, .569 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 3 homers, 13 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.  Hernandez played in 6 games (0 starts) in RF last year and he didn’t have any errors or assists there, while showing poor range.  25-year old righty swinging Alfredo Silverio is going to have a good shot of winning a bench job with the Marlins this spring, as they selected him away from the Dodgers in the Rule 5 Draft.  Silverio didn’t play last year due to a serious injury in a car crash, but he is healthy now.  Silverio last played in 2011, in AA-ball for the Dodgers, appearing in 132 games in which he was 163 of 533 (.306 avg, .883 OPS) with 90 runs scored, 18 triples, 16 homers, 85 RBIs and 11 stolen bases.  He has now played in 570 games in his first six years in the minors and he is 649 of 2,220 (.292 avg, .805 OPS) with 343 runs scored, 63 homers, 328 RBIs and 47 stolen bases.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RIGHT FIELDERS IN 2013:  A

30-year old righty swinging Justin Ruggiano is heading into the 2013 season as the Marlins’ starting CF.  How long he keeps the gig will be entirely up to him.  Ruggiano played in 91 games for the Marlins last year and he was 90 for 288 (.313 avg, .909 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 13 homers, 36 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.  He played in 52 games (48 starts) in CF last year and he had 0 assists and 3 errors there while showing out of this world range there.  Ruggiano has now played in 189 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 134 of 483 (.277 avg, .794 OPS) with 60 runs scored, 19 homers, 59 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.  27-year old lefty swinging Chris Coghlan, 26-year old lefty swinging Bryan Petersen and 25-year old righty swinging Gorkys Hernandez will duke it out to see who will be Ruggiano’s backup this spring.  Coghlan is on thin ice for the Marlins as he has declined every single season since winning the N.L. Rookie of the Year in 2009.  Coghlan played in 39 games for the Marlins last year and he was 13 of 93 (.140 avg, .394 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 1 homer and 10 RBIs.  He played in 13 games (10 starts) in CF for the Fish last year and he had 0 assists or errors there last year while showing off poor range.  Coghlan has now played in 323 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 333 of 1,224 (.272 avg, .736 OPS) with 187 runs scored, 20 homers, 107 RBIs and 25 stolen bases.  Petersen played in 20 games (15 starts) in CF last year for the Marlins and he had 2 assists and 0 errors there while showing poor range there.  Hernandez played in 37 games (31 starts) in CF last year and he had 1 assist and 0 errors there while showing outstanding range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CENTER FIELDERS IN 2013:  C

35-year old lefty swinging Juan Pierre is back in Miami for 2013 to lead off and play LF.  He played in 130 games for the Phillies last year and he was 121 of 394 (.307 avg, .721 OPS) with 59 runs scored, 1 homer, 25 RBIs and 37 stolen bases.  He played in 107 games (98 starts) in LF last year for the Phillies and he had 1 assist and 1 error there while showing below average range.  Pierre has now played in 1,881 games in his first 13 years in the majors and he is 2,141 of 7,217 (.297 avg, .709 OPS) with 1,039 runs scored, 17 homers, 509 RBIs and 591 stolen bases.  32-year old righty swinging Austin Kearns will likely be the top backup for the Marlins in LF.  He played in 87 games for the Marlins last year and he was 36 of 147 (.245 avg, .733 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 4 homers, 16 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.  Kearns played in 22 games (17 starts) in LF for the Marlins last year and he had 0 assists and 1 error there while showing out of this world range.  Kearns has now played in 1,106 games in his first 11 years in the majors and he is 909 of 3,579 (.254 avg, .766 OPS) with 519 runs scored, 121 homers, 494 RBIs and 33 stolen bases.  26-year old lefty swinging Bryan Petersen, 27-year old lefty swinging Kevin Mattison, 27-year old lefty swinging Chris Coghlan and 25-year old righty swinging Gorkys Hernandez could win a backup job this spring and play some LF for the Fish in 2013.  Petersen played in 84 games for the Marlins last year and he was 47 of 241 (.195 avg, .530 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 0 homers, 17 RBIs and 8 stolen bases.  He played in 51 games (39 starts) in LF for the Marlins last year and he had 2 assists and 1 error there while showing above average range there.  Petersen has now played in 181 games in his first three years in the majors and he is 103 of 469 (.220 avg, .608 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 2 homers, 29 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.  Mattison played in 2 games for the Marlins last year in his first taste of the majors and he was 0 for 5 (.000 avg, .000 OPS).  He also played in 121 games in AAA-ball last year in which he was 116 of 482 (.241 avg, .704 OPS) with 80 runs scored, 13 homers, 41 RBIs and 26 stolen bases.  Coghlan played in 21 games (12 starts) in LF for the Marlins last year and he had 0 assists or errors there while showing out of this world range.  Hernandez played in 14 games (2 starts) in LF last year and he had 0 errors or assists while showing out of this world range there.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE LEFT FIELDERS IN 2013:  B

The Marlins signed 37-year old righty swinging Placido Polanco over the winter to be their starting 3B in 2013.  Polanco played in 90 games for the Phillies last year and he was 78 for 303 (.257 avg, .629 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 2 homers and 19 RBIs.  He played in 80 games (72 starts) at 3B last year for the Phillies and he only made 2 errors there while showing out of this world range there.  Polanco has now played in 1,809 games in his first 15 years in the majors and he is 2,044 of 6,837 (.299 avg, .747 OPS) with 976 runs scored, 103 homers, 700 RBIs and 79 stolen bases.  34-year old lefty swinging Greg Dobbs will be splitting his time between 3B and 1B for the Marlins in 2013.  Dobbs played in 120 games for the Marlins last year and he was 91 of 319 (.285 avg, .698 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 5 homers, 39 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.  Dobbs played in 36 games (30 starts) at 3B for the Marlins last year and he had 10 errors there while showing pathetic range.  Dobbs has now played in 809 games in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 487 of 1,819 (.268 avg, .710 OPS) with 183 runs scored, 44 homers, 250 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.  31-year old righty swinging Kevin Kouzmanoff is a longshot to make the Marlins’ roster out of spring training.  He played in 90 games in AA+AAA-ball for the Royals last year and he was 91 of 330 (.276 avg, .691 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 2 homers, 46 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.  Kouzmanoff last played in the majors back in 2011 with the Rockies and A’s.  He has played in 672 games in his first six years in the majors and he is 633 of 2,478 (.255 avg, .720 OPS) with 265 runs scored, 85 homers, 361 RBIs and 6 stolen bases.  23-year old lefty swinging Zack Cox could be the Marlins’ 3B of the near future.  He played in 108 games in AA+AAA-ball for the Cardinals and Marlins last year and he was 100 of 394 (.254 avg, .710 OPS) with 41 runs scored, 10 homers, 43 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  Cox has now played in 247 games in his first three years in the minors and he is 264 of 925 (.285 avg, .762 OPS) with 117 runs scored, 23 homers, 112 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.

PROJECTED GRADE OF THE THIRD BASEMEN IN 2013:  C

23-year old righty swinging SS Adeiny Hechavarria was a main part of the return the Marlins got in their firesale deal with the Blue Jays.  With that in mind, he will get his big shot to replace Jose Reyes in the starting lineup in 2013.  He played in 41 games for the Blue Jays last year and he was 32 of 126 (.254 avg, .645 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 2 homers and 15 RBIs.  He does need to be a little more selective at the plate as he walked only 4 times while whiffing 32 times for the Jays last year.  He also played in 102 games in AAA-ball for the Blue Jays last year and he was 138 of 443 (.312 avg, .788 OPS) with 78 runs scored, 6 homers, 63 RBIs and 8 stolen bases.  Hechavarria played in 17 games (13 starts) for the Jays last year and he had 2 errors while showing terrible range there.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SHORTSTOPS IN 2013:  C

25-year old righty swinging Donovan Solano is heading to spring training as the starting 2B, but his name is in the lineup in pencil.  He will have to hold off challengers to keep the starting gig.  Solano played in 93 games for the Marlins last year and he was 84 of 285 (.295 avg, .717 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 2 homers, 28 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.  Solano also played in 36 games in AAA-ball for the Marlins last year and he was 37 of 141 (.262 avg, .653 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 0 homers, 14 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.  Solano played in 58 games (56 starts) for the Marlins at 2B last year and he had 2 errors while showing slightly below average range.  It will be interesting to see how Solano does with the bat in 2013, as nothing in his minor league career shows that his 2012 numbers could be something he can keep up.  35-year old switch-hitting Chone Figgins, 28-year old righty swinging Matt Downs and 34-year old righty swinging Nick Green will duke it out this spring for backup jobs.  It’s even possible that one of them could challenge Solano for his starting gig.  Figgins played in 66 games for the Mariners last year and he was 30 for 166 (.181 avg, .533 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 2 homers, 11 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.  Figgins has now played in 1,244 games in his first 11 years in the majors and he is 1,285 of 4,641 (.277 avg, .713 OPS) with 700 runs scored, 35 homers, 402 RBIs and 337 stolen bases.  Figgins is a natural 2B, but he didn’t get to play there for the Mariners last year.  Matt Downs played in 91 games for the Astros last year and he was 36 of 178 (.202 avg, .623 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 8 homers, 16 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.  Downs played in 3 games (2 starts) at 2B last year for the Astros and he didn’t make any errors while showing out of this world range.  Downs has now played in 254 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 121 of 527 (.230 avg, .702 OPS) with 58 runs scored, 20 homers, 66 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.  Nick Green played in 7 games for the Marlins last year and he was 4 for 23 (.174 avg, .513 OPS) with 1 run scored and 1 RBI.  Green also played in 63 games in AAA-ball for the Marlins last year in which he was 73 of 212 (.344 avg, .996 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 12 homers, 47 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.  Green played in 2 games (both starts) for the Marlins at 2B last year and he didn’t have any errors while showing horrible range.  Green has now played in 400 games in his first 7 years in the majors and he is 241 of 1,023 (.236 avg, .650 OPS) with 143 runs scored, 16 homers, 97 RBIs and 6 stolen bases.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SECOND BASEMEN IN 2013:  C-

25-year old lefty swinging Logan Morrison will be playing at his natural position (1B) in 2013.  Maybe that will get him to relax in the field and help him regain his stroke at the plate.  Morrison played in 93 games for the Marlins last year and he was 68 of 296 (.230 avg, .707 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 11 homers, 36 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  He played in 21 games (16 starts) at 1B for the Marlins last year and he made 1 error.  Morrison has now played in 278 games in his first three years in the majors and he is 251 of 1,002 (.250 avg, .781 OPS) with 127 runs scored, 36 homers, 126 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.  34-year old lefty swinging Greg Dobbs does most of his work at other positions, but he could help out at 1B if the Marlins need him to in 2013.  Dobbs played in 18 games (14 starts) for the Marlins at 1B last year and he made 1 error.  26-year old lefty swinging Joe Mahoney played in 2 games for the Orioles last year and he was 0 for 4 (.000 avg, .000 OPS).  He also played in 132 games in AAA-ball for the Orioles last year and he was 130 of 491 (.265 avg, .708 OPS) with 54 runs scored, 10 homers, 56 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.  He played in 2 games (1 start) at 1B for the Orioles last year and he was error free.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE FIRST BASEMEN IN 2013:  C-