Miami Marlins look to Giancarlo Stanton to move them past tragedy

MIAMI -- This was by far the saddest season in Marlins history.

The shocking death of two-time All-Star pitcher Jose Fernandez at age 24 will take the franchise -- and indeed the city of Miami -- years before they can recover.

Fernandez was not only his team's best player, he was also the Marlins' most radiant star, the type of personality that drew fans to him and to the franchise.

"I'm still waiting to wake up from this nightmare," Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton tweeted in the hours after Fernandez was found dead on Sept. 25 after a boating crash. "I lost my brother today, and I can't comprehend it -- the shock is overwhelming."

Going forward into 2017 without Fernandez as their ace pitcher seems incomprehensible at the moment, but Stanton is the player best equipped to lead Miami into the future.

Stanton lacks Fernandez's charisma, charm and magnetism. But Stanton is a young star with massive home run power. He won the 2016 Home Run Hitting Contest, and he figures to be front and center when the Marlins host the 2017 All-Star Game.

Miami's offense does not need major tinkering but rather better health and the promise of young players continuing to mature.

The problem is Miami's starting pitching. For argument's sake, if everyone were healthy, the Marlins have no one who could come close to matching the Big Three pitchers of the Chicago Cubs ... or the Washington Nationals ... or the New York Mets ... or just about any NL contender you can name.

That's a major problem.

And the problem grows greater upon analysis of the Marlins' farm system. There's no depth in comparison to other top farm systems, and the few players the Marlins may "hit" on appear to be at least one year away.

The Marlins are expected to sign at least two starters to help bridge the gap between now and a future when the farm system starts to contribute some viable pitching options.

But here are more issues for the Marlins: Owner Jeffrey Loria doesn't have a great reputation for spending the types of funds it takes to build a winner, and secondly, there is very little in the way of quality starters available in free agency this winter.

Some possible options for Miami include Edison Volquez (Royals); Jeremy Hellickson (Phillies); James Shields (White Sox); Scott Kazmir (Dodgers); Rich Hill (Dodgers); Doug Fister (Astros); and R.A. Dickey (Blue Jays).

"We need to improve our depth," Marlins GM Michael Hill told the media before the Fernandez tragedy. "We had a lot of good things happen in the first four-plus months."

Giancarlo Stanton smashed a double off the wall with a shattered bat

Giancarlo Stanton is exceptionally good at hitting baseballs really far. He prefers to use bats that are fully intact, though.

But as he proved on Tuesday night against the Giants, he doesn’t necessarilyneed a whole bat to hit a baseball very far.

During the first inning, Stanton ripped a Matt Moore fastball despite making contact near the handle of his bat. The bat shattered on contact. Baseball bats are most effective when they aren’t broken, and contact off a broken bat rarely leaves the infield.

These baseball norms don’t apply to Stanton.

Stanton managed to hit the baseball to the wall off a shattered bat. This doesn’t happen often, and it’s always amazing when it does. Let this serve as reminder No. 1,219 that Giancarlo Stanton is ridiculously strong.

Dee Gordon would score on the double, and the Marlins won, 2-0.

Giancarlo Stanton Is Still Here Killing People With Strong Home Runs

“Giancarlo Stanton, what did that baseball do to you?” muses the Marlins’ color commentator. And, well, given the way the baseball was treated—namely, donged so hard you don’t have time to even think Hey wait I thought he was struggling this year? before it gets out of the park—here are some possibilities:

1. That baseball insists on still calling him “Mike.”
2. That baseball thinks it’s just so great that Stanton doesn’t care what everyone is saying about him.
3. That baseball puts the emphasis on the first syllable of Breaking Bad.

(Mobile users can watch here.)

If any of the above are correct, that baseball got what it deserved.

Giancarlo Stanton's 475-foot home run nearly leaves Marlins Park

The Phillies and Marlins were tied in the bottom of the eighth inning Friday night, until Giancarlo Stanton stepped to the plate with a runner on.

Stanton blasted a 1-0 delivery from Hector Neris deep to left-center field. Not only did the ball clear the decorative pool infamous home run sculpture beyond the outfield wall, it almost left the stadium. The two-run homer that proved to be the game-winner in Miami's 6-4 victory was measured at an estimated 475 feet.

It was the 10th home run of the season for Stanton, whose career high is 37 in 2012 and 2014.

GIANCARLO STANTON HAS A RBI IN A LOSING EFFORT

Giancarlo Stanton finished 1-for-4 in a losing effort on Sunday, as he knocked in his fourth run in a 4-2 loss to the Nationals. Stanton has a .787 OPS in the young season.

Fantasy Impact: Stanton has huge expectations after hitting 27 home runs in just 74 games last season and has a home run as a part of his 5-for-17 start to the 2016 season. A first-round pick in most mixed leagues, fantasy owners will look for more consistency from Stanton, who has only played 150 or more games once in his career. Stanton has a hit in each of his first four games of the 2016 season and if he can get his batting average closer to the .288 mark from 2014, he has top-five potential.

Swing like Bunyan? Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton trying out Axe bat

Last year when Giancarlo Stanton was coming back from a serious beaning he had a face guard custom-fitted to his batting helmet.

This spring, in reaction to his latest injury, he is experimenting with a bat that has a handle designed to ease stress on the hands and wrists. Stanton missed more than half of last season after fracturing his left hamate.

Known as the Axe Bat, Stanton’s new war club has a handle like a woodsman’s ax, which is appropriate for one known for hitting Bunyanesque home runs.

Instead of the traditional knob, the Axe has an oval-shaped handle that tapers into a curved, angled end.

Jimmy Rollins, formerly of the Phillies, had dabbled with the Axe, but it began to get notice when Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox raved about it last season.

Pedroia, who had undergone surgery on his hand or wrist in three consecutive seasons, saw his health and production improve while using the Axe.

“They’re just what they say to use for this injury,” Stanton said. “It’s weird, obviously outside the norm from [what I’ve been using] forever. So you got to get used to it a little bit. But it feels pretty good.”

The bat is also purported to increase bat speed and more efficient power transfer. But the jury is out on that.

Stanton, who is continuing to use the faceguard on his helmet, hasn’t abandoned his more traditional Marucci bats, saying he may switch back and forth with the Axe.

Marlins' Ozuna and Bour trim down, aim for bulkier production

Ballplayers are slow to make drastic changes in any aspect of their game. But spring is a time for experimentation. Infielder Chris Johnson is also trying out the Axe after hearing about it from Pedroia.

“He said he really likes it, so I decided I’d order a couple and give it a shot,” Johnson said. “I haven’t been able to use it in a game, so I don’t know yet. It’s comfortable. It’s a different grip, but it’s something I’ve got to get used to too.”

Regarding maintaining a grip, Johnson said, “I think it’s pretty easy to hold onto the bat because you’ve got your hand on that angle from the beginning. It still has a knob, it’s just a different shape.”

Just looking

Spring training is about taking slow, steady progress toward Opening Day. It begins with baby steps.

So when Marlins hitters faced live pitching for the first time Wednesday, they weren’t swinging. They just stood in the batter’s box tracking pitches as they whizzed past.

It was a frustrating drill for National League batting champion Dee Gordon, who had to surpress the urge to swing away as he stood in against Wei-Yin Chen and Kendry Flores.

“This is the only taking I’m doing all season,” Gordon said. “I want to hit so bad.”

Gordon makes no secret of his reluctance to wait for walks. He walked only 25 times in 653 plate appearances last season. But he led the majors with 205 hits and had a .359 on-base percentage while leading the NL with a .333 average.

On his final turn in the cage, Gordon waited until the last pitch from Chen, a very high fastball, zipped by and gave a late wave of the bat.

“There, I got my swing in,” he said.

Hitters did get to take their cuts in regular batting practice thrown by coaches.

Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton trying out new bat to ease hand pain

After missing the second half of last season with a broken hand, Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton is trying out a new bat at spring training.

The Axe Bat has a flared, tapered handle that's designed to ease pressure on hands. Stanton, who broke the hamate bone in his left hand, is giving it a spin to see if will help him swing without pain.

The bat was used last season by Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia.

"We'll see how it goes after swinging over and over again," Stanton told the Miami Herald. "It hasn't been painful."

Initially, Stanton was expected miss four to six weeks after having surgery in June but ended up missing the rest of the season.

"[The bat's] what I used in the offseason to prepare myself," Stanton told the Herald. "It's good. I like them. We'll have to re-evaluate in two weeks to make sure it's fully ready. In my eyes, it should be."

He said he'll keep using his specially designed helmet, which includes a face guard, that he started using after being struck in the face by a pitch in 2014.