Draft prep: Florida Marlins outlook

The more things change, the more they stay the same. This past offseason, the young, rebuilding Marlins -- got younger and are rebuilding.

Florida essentially sent the two centerpieces of their foundation, Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, to Detroit for outfielder Cameron Maybin and starter Andrew Miller. Two players that helped them as rookies win their second World Series back in 2003 will now be performing in Motown. That's not to say that Maybin and Miller are chicken feed, but from a Fantasy perspective -- this season -- they will be hard-pressed to produce as much as Cabrera alone.

Hanley Ramirez now becomes the best Fantasy player on this team to target -- although he might have been the best even with Cabrera there because of his speed and position. He proved last season that, when healthy, he can reach 30 homers, 80 RBI, a .330 batting average, 125 runs scored and 50 steals. Shoulder problems forced him to have surgery in October on his non-throwing arm. If you remember seeing him in pain after a few of his swings when the shoulder came out last season, then you know how important this surgery was. He should be fine this season, and he remains a solid first-round pick in all formats, although without Cabrera in the lineup, he'll be hard-pressed to come anywhere near his totals from last year.

Dan Uggla is the other big hitter in that middle infield, but his low batting average and inability to get on-base regularly keeps him from being considered in the first few rounds of most Fantasy drafts. While Head-to-Head owners are excited about his pop (he led all 2B with 31 homers), they have to take into account that his 167 strikeouts also led the position. If your Head-to-Head league doesn't deduct for whiffs, by all means, move him up your rankings.

Maybin has speed to spare -- 30 steals last season -- but he's a free swinger that will need to be more patient at the plate if he hopes to lead off someday for this Marlins team. He might not start the season in the majors, but you can bet that the team will want to get him to Dolphin Stadium sooner than later to get him experience. If they wait too long -- they'll end up trading him in another youth movement!

Jeremy Hermida and Josh Willingham are close to the same Fantasy outfielders, although Hermida can certainly come closer to a .300 batting average. Both will come close to 25 homers, 80 RBI and 70 runs scored. Hermida is a decent No. 3 Fantasy outfielder this spring, but with the addition of veteran OF Luis Gonzalez, Willingham's stats might get cut into. Hermida might move to center to make room for Gonzalez, which would allow Maybin some seasoning in the minors.

The Marlins' pitching staff is not what we had hoped it would become just a couple seasons ago, when Willis had a sub-4.00 ERA as their ace, Josh Johnson had 12 wins in his rookie season, when Anibal Sanchez threw a no-hitter in his rookie year, when Ricky Nolasco was a double-digit winner, and when Scott Olsen was second among major league rookies with 166 strikeouts. The Marlins had the highest ERA in the National League last season (4.94).

Sergio Mitre looks to be the No. 1 starter entering this season. That's right. Sergio Mitre -- the guy that has never won more than five games in any one season. The guy that has twice as many career losses as he does career wins. Needless to say, we don't recommend him in mixed play, and since he doesn't strike out many batters and he isn't likely going to register double-digit wins this year, his NL-only status is relatively low as well. And their recent addition of Mark Hendrickson is basically a taller, left-handed version of Mitre.

Olsen is back -- and he's likely your best bet at instant Fantasy help in the later rounds of mixed leagues as a sleeper. His off-the-field problems aside, he is entering his third year and should mature into a player that pitches more consistently.

The Marlins will give Miller every chance to pitch in the rotation right out of spring, and they'll be able to be patient with his wild attributes because they aren't expected to win every game. Rotisserie owners should enjoy his abilities a little more than their Head-to-Head counterparts, since losses won't hurt them.

As far as relievers are concerned, the Marlins were one of the worst bullpens in the majors last season, and they certainly went through their fair share of closer candidates before Kevin Gregg finally stepped up. He'll keep that job entering this spring, but it'll be interesting to see if he can hold onto it. On a team that isn't expected to win many games, it's tough to predict a large amount of save opportunities. Looking closer, however, they had 64 save chances last season, and they're not expected to blow anyone out. So a number close to that again this year is logical -- which makes Gregg a decent later-round pick in Rotisserie formats as a No. 3 closer.

Spring position battles

Center field -- Cameron Maybin vs. Cody Ross
Maybin is the man because of his potential, but Ross is the underdog that has proven he can produce when given a chance. But Ross is a smallish player that would serve better as a utility outfielder. Maybin is still a mixed league target, whereas Ross should only be considered in NL-only formats. This is all if Gonzalez shares at-bats with Willingham and Hermida remains in right field.

No. 5 starting pitcher -- Anibal Sanchez vs. Rick VandenHurk vs. Daniel Barone
You have to figure the Marlins want Sanchez to win this battle because of his potential. But shoulder problems could make them wait until a month or so into the season. VandenHurk struck out twice as many batters as he walked a season ago. He could be the guy that moves up a spot to replace Hendrickson once he falters and Sanchez is healthy. Barone is another solid pitching prospect, although he has proven to be better in the bullpen. Once injuries take their toll, we could see top prospect Chris Volstad on the mound in South Florida.

Third base -- Dallas McPherson vs. Jose Castillo

Florida brings over the oft-injured McPherson from Anaheim, which is a great move on their part because he's low-risk/high-reward. Consider him the same in NL-only play. Jorge Cantu is also in this mix.

You can e-mail your Fantasy Baseball questions to dmfantasybaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Marlins outlook in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses or answers to all questions.