Castillo goes home... This team has had so many roster ups and downs this year that a lot of the 25-man roster wasn't even on the 40-man in spring training and so there are a lot of ad hoc 2007 mugshots. I'll state right here that the AAA pics are from the Albuquerque Isotopes (name inspired by "the Simpsons"), and the AA pics are from the Carolina Mudcats.
I picked the wrong team to do an MP a week ahead of time for. The below is accurate except that Vanden Hurk was optioned to AA Carolina, Brett Carroll has been added to the team from AAA, Kim is now allegedly the fifth starter, and De Aza is now on the 60-day DL.
Starting Pitchers: Scott Olson, Josh Johnson, and Dontrelle Willis are the series probables; plus Sergio Mitre and Rick Vanden Hurk.
(Olson '07, '05; Johnson '07, '06, '05; Willis '07, '06, '05; Mitre '07, '06; VandenHurk '07)
The current Mitre is probably the best of the Marlins. That would have never happened with Girardi as manager. (He had a clean-shaven policy.)
Catchers: Miguel Olivo and Matt Treanor.
(Olivo '07, '06, '05; Treanor '07, '06, '05)
Former Twins: Travis Bowyer and Scott Tyler were both traded for Castillo. Bowyer's been on the DL since the trade.
(Bowyer '07, '06, '05; Tyler '07AA, '07, '06, '05)
The '06 Tyler is a photoshop of the '05.
DL: Cody Ross, Ricky Nolasco, Logan Kensing, Mike Jacobs, Henry Owens, Jose Garcia, and Alejandro De Aza.
(Ross '07, '06, '05; Nolasco '07, '06; Kensing '07, '05; Jacobs '07, '05; JGarcia '07, Owens '07)
Bullpen: Armando Benitez, Byung-Hyun Kim, Taylor Tankersley, Matt Lindstrom, Kevin Gregg, Renyel Pinto, Wes Obermueller, Justin Miller, and Lee Gardner. It looks like Gregg is the closer.
(Benitez '07, '06, '05; Kim '07, '06; Tankersley '07, '06; Lindstrom '07, '06; Gregg '07, '06; Pinto '07AAA, '07, '06; Obermueller '07AAA, '07; Miller '07AAA, 07; Gardner '07AAA, '07)
Infield: Miguel Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez, Aaron Boone, Dan Uggla, and Jason Wood.
(Cabrera '07, '06, '05; Ramirez '07, '06, '05; Boone '07, '06, '05; Uggla '07, '06; Wood '07)
The 2007 Boone is a photoshop.
Outfield: Reggie Abercrombie, Alfredo Amezaga, Josh Willingham, Jeremy Hermida, and Joe Borchard.
Abercrombie '07AAA, '07, '06, '05 ; Amezaga '07, '06, '05; Willingham '07, '05; Hermida '07, '05 ; Joe Borchard '07, '06)
Minors: Robert Andino, Eric Reed, Anibal "No Hitter" Sanchez, Chris Seddon, Harvey Garcia, Jesus Delgado, Paul Mildren, and Carlos Martinez.
(Andino '07AAA, '07, '06, '05; Reed '07AAA, '07, '06, '05; Sanchez '07, '06, '05; Seddon '07AA, '07, '06, '05; HGarcia '07AA, '07, '06; Delgado '07AA, '07, '06; Mildren '07AAA, '07; Martinez '06)
Late Addition:
Brett Carroll, outfielder, called up from AAA.
(Carroll '07, '07AAA)
Castillo and Redmond goes home…
Excellent job as always. Seems like many of the Marlins have C.C. Sabathia disease. Although it seems like Reggie Abercrombie & Fitch went with the less conventional shift to the right (picture's left).
Yeah, I forgot about Redmond. Castillo was one of their best position players while he was there, and was a trade acquisition (how many times does TR trade prospects for semi-veterans who will be under contract for more than one year?)
Redmond was a backup pretty much his whole time there, and acquired via free agency.
Abercrombie seems to prefer the right, but Girardi told him not to pull that crap last year.
I don't see a Fitch on the...Ohigetit.
I thought his name was Reggie "Fort" Abercrombie.
Since you mentioned Fort Abercrombie...it is the Fort's 150th anniversary this weekend. The city of Abercrombie is celebrating with a bunch of events tomorrow (Saturday). There's a parade: I think I'm driving my father-in-law's float (it will feature his biodiesel processor--possible tagline: "Some beans give you gas; soybeans give you diesel"). And there will a Gatling gun demonstration. And a craft fair for the ladies. If you're in the area, come on out!
I think Miguel Cabrera was trying to make the camera melt with his eyes.
My old roomie and I managed to always see the Marlins whenever we decided to take in a Nats game. We referred to Rocky as Jeanne Nolasco for obvious reasons and Reggie Abercrombie as Home Depot (because he's full of tools!!!).
Oh, and hitting coach Jim Pressley was heckled for needlessly blocking Edgar Martinez's path to the Majors in the late '80s. Pressley actually didn't seem to mind.
Is Taylor Tankersley related to Dennis "Where is He Now" Tankersley? I remember watching Dennis pitching Legion ball on the neighboring field on our softball nights. Don't remember a Taylor though.
Go 'Topes!
Hands down, my favorite minor league team name.
Also:
Las Vegas 51s (after the UFO area). Logo is an alien head with baseball stitches.
Bakesfield Blaze (logo looks like a flame pot leaf with back-to-back Bs)
Montgomery Biscuits (see Seddon's AA pic for the biscuit-muppet-logo)
West Tenn Diamond Jaxx ("It's allright. Don't Panic.")
Is Willy Dipkin still playing for the 'Topes?
The Fresno Raisin Eaters. (long-ago PCL team.)
some more quality minor-league monikers here.
I also appreciate the Lugnuts. A few more here, with an article about merchandising sales.
Muckdogs to me sounds like Mudpuppy, which is a salamander.
Thinking of Salamanders made me think that "Hellbenders" would be a great minor-league team nickname.
Wikipedia tells me that other nicknames for this large salamander are "Snot Otter" and "Devil Dog." I think all three would work.
"snot otter" sounds like a nickname for a younger sibling. I think "Devil Dogs" is taken already.
Lake Elsinore Storm isn't necessarily the most creative team mascot, but their caps are pretty interesting.
http://shop.mlb.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2014483&cp=2014483&milbState=true
Reminds me of the Ottawa Lynx.
Wow. Is that a fresh Benitez instead of a photoshop? He couldn't get his SF past behind him fast enough!
Actually, Benitez was with the Marlins in 2004. I believe his "current" is actually an old picture from that tenure.
ESPN has his 2007, albeit in the miniscule size of 65x90 (instead of mlb.com/milb.com standard 90x135):
Bowyer’s been on the DL since the trade.
I believe the Marlins released Bowyer.
Bowyer was released and then signed to a minor-league contract.
He spent a week in tha major-league spring training.
He is not on the 40-man.