Marlins Leaning Heavily on New Leftiesby Daniel PaullingMarch 14, 2005 This is the year the Marlins will win it all and many people know it. Sure, no one expected the Fish to rise to the top in 1997 or 2003, but they did, even one season after a sub .500 record. But the Marlins have reason for optimism this season because of two new lefties: Alois Leiter and Carlos Delgado. The Mets apparently were not satisfied with the left arm of Al Leiter. He pitched 173 innings with a 3.21 ERA in front of a porous defense last year, but the Mets chose to let him go. Now Leiter is pitching for the Florida Marlins and he should have a season similar to last year, with some bonuses tucked away. A little something in the form of a veteran presence to lead the staff, a component lacking very much last season. "I'm not the greatest guy who ever pitched," Leiter said. "I've had a pretty good career. I'm not the smartest guy, and I'm not a know-it-all. But I do know this: The more you talk about something ... and you engage people -- pitchers -- to bring out their knowledge, their viewpoints, their opinions, game plans and routines, it instills some sort of inner plan that has to be positive." Leiter has pitched for a very long time and in his tenure has shown a tremendous amount of heart (Game 5, 2000 World Series is just one example). He has also pitched with Kevin Brown, Mike Hampton, Tom Glavine, and many other great pitchers. It is written in stone that he has learned a few tricks from these guys. But Leiter also has the ability to be a go-to guy for the media, as well as the talent of bringing a team together. "I think it's important that the guys go out together," Leiter said. "I want to try to instill getting [the Marlins] all out. Usually, a nice little steak place is appealing to most people. Just to get them out, get them together. It's a good thing. I like to keep [pitchers] together because ultimately baseball will be discussed." Because Leiter has been in the Majors so long, he has received the respect of many ballplayers. Because of this respect, Al Leiter can recruit players - with a major case in point being the Marlins’ other new lefty Carlos Delgado. The Marlins brought Carlos Delgado in with a four year, $52 million deal to shore up the lineup. He will be the cleanup hitter, residing between Miguel Cabrera and Mike Lowell and his presence will be felt immediately. The Marlins have not had a left handed hitter of Delgado’s stature since the departure of Clifford Floyd. Besides his tremendous bat, Delgado brings a hunger to the team for winning. "I'm doing what I love to do, I'm playing ball. Hopefully, I get a chance to win. What else can I ask for?" No truer words have been spoken. What else could somebody want except to win and win big. "I think we've got a legitimate opportunity to win the championship here. You have to look at those clubs and how you fit in their lineup and what kind of plans they have. And I thought this was the best fit for me. I'm really looking forward to having a chance to win." So
now the Marlins, vying for the World Series once again, are going
to be leaning heavily on the left arms of Al Leiter and Carlos Delgado.
If those two produce like they are capable of, the Marlins could
have a shot to satisfy Delgado’s biggest dream: winning a
World Championship…again. Feel free to leave comments in the forums or e-mail Daniel at daniel@athomeplate.com. |
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