The Florida Marlins’ performance in the 2008 season was a marked improvement from the previous season, ending in 3rd place in the NL East versus a last place finish in 2007. The Marlins know how to get the most bang for their buck by developing young stars, and the team got even younger during the offseason, trading Mike Jacobs to the Royals for Leo Nunez, and trading Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham to the Nationals for Emilio Bonifacio and 2 minor leaguers. The Fish are likely to rely heavily on the up-and-coming Cameron Maybin, who may only have 32 games of experience in the big league but who has shown real promise as a leadoff hitter and center fielder. The Marlins are starting the 2009 season with the best starting rotation in the division, and if they can continue the upward trend they started in 2008, they promise to be a real force in the NL East. Get your tickets to LandShark Stadium (formerly Dolphin Stadium) and help cheer the Florida Marlins on to a winning season in 2009!

A Promising Beginning

The Marlins began play in 1993 as part of baseball’s first expansion in decades. The Marlins arrival in Miami meant that for the first time Major League baseball would be played in Florida AFTER spring training. Despite being an expansion team the Marlins managed to avoid last place in 1993. The Marlins steadily improved over those first few years until 1997 when they finally broke through and made it to the postseason by capturing the NL Wild Card. Once in the playoffs the team made the most of it by defeating the Cleveland Indians in an exciting 7 game series. That team was led by pitchers Kevin Brown, Alex Fernandez, Al Leiter, and Livan Hernandez, who also won the World Series MVP. Manager Jim Leyland provided a steady influence all season and the Marlins became the fastest expansion team to ever win the World Series.