Pressure Point: Are rebuilding Marlins ready to take step to relevance?

JUPITER

Welcome to Camp Optimism, which is a most unfamiliar moniker for Miami Marlins spring training.

It’s not full-blown optimism, mind you, in the sense of, hey, we’re ready to kick ass like a genuine big fish.

That would be absurd for a team coming off a 105-loss season, and that’s not what’s going on here. That mindset is reserved for the team housed on the opposite side of the Roger Dean Stadium complex — the Cardinals, who find a way to be a factor year after year.

For the Marlins, this year is about hope and finally the expectation of beginning to rise out of the malaise of a lost decade. That is fueled by the belief that the franchise is finally moving away from the clown show of the past.

“It’s time for us to move forward,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said Monday on the first day of full-squad workouts at spring training. “There will be disappointment if we don’t make measurable gains this year.”

Rebuilding plan faces test

Owner Bruce Sherman actually took a swipe at the way previous ownership operated, saying, “I don’t want to have up and downs, up and downs. That’s a silly way to run a baseball club.”

Of course, the Sherman/Derek Jeter regime began two years ago by trading away all of the team’s All-Stars and big names in embarking on a bottom-up rebuild.

The turnover is evident. There are only five players on the roster who were here in 2017; Miguel Rojas and Brian Anderson are the lone position players who were on the team when Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna comprised the then-best outfield in baseball.

Keep in mind, the Marlins never won more than they lost with that group. There is no guarantee this approach will work either, of restocking the farm system and waiting for the tide of young talent to elevate the product in Miami.

Michael Hill, Marlins president of baseball operations, dodged a question about how much improvement in the win column would be reasonable to expect.

Hill did say, “Now a lot of that upper level talent is on the 40-man roster. Once that happens, it’s only opportunity at that point.”

Hence, Hill’s message to the young prospects: “Go out and let your talent shine. If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Let it go. Go have fun … and give yourself every opportunity to show what you’re capable of doing.”

Uphill climb in NL East

Mattingly took that message a step further to the identity of team he’s trying to assemble: “We want a club that starts to exude that confidence, starts to show a little bit of swagger and starts to have a little push back and expectation that we’re better than this if we’re not playing well.”

These Marlins must push these aspirations in the NL East against the defending World Series champion Nationals, the division champion Braves whose young prospects are already blossoming into stars, a well-armed Mets team and a Phillies team spending money like they’re printing it.

Most of the young players the Marlins are counting on for the foundation of the mantra Sherman and Co. have adopted of “sustainable winning” haven’t been tested about the Double A level.

To me, what this season will be about for the Marlins is seeing some the touted talent reaching Miami and providing the first indication whether they are as good as advertised. At the top of the list would be starting pitchers such as Sixto Sanchez, Edward Cabrera, Jorge Guzman and Nick Neidert.

If success is on the horizon it will be built on the young arms, which Hill noted are ahead of the top hitting prospects in the organization. The hope is that some of the bats they are pinning hopes on will show progress toward legitimacy, at least in the upper levels of the minors.

Meanwhile, there are a few more accomplished major-league hitters in camp with the offseason additions of Jonathan Villar, Corey Dickerson, Jesus Aguilar and Matt Kemp (on a minor-league contract).

Villar odd choice for center field

The one curious bit of news from Day 1 was Mattingly saying that Villar would get a serious look initially in center field during spring training.

Villar played 162 games last year for the Baltimore Orioles. Primarily a second baseman, he didn’t appear in the outfield in any of them. He has started in center field in just six of 785 big-league games.

His chances of playing in every game again this season would seem greatly diminished if he is asked to cover the vast expanse of center field at Marlins Park, particularly with the addition of artificial turf this season.

Dickerson, slated for left field, played on similar turf at Tampa Bay.

Regarding the toll it takes, Dickerson said, “Your shins, your back, things you’ve got to get used to. It’s definitely going to hurt teams coming in and not getting over that first couple of days. They’re kind of sore right away. We have to figure out ways to stay on top of it to make sure your body is optimal and ready to go.”

For his part, Villar said, “I’m here for the team. If they want me to play centerfield, I’ll try,” though his face conveyed some doubt.

Meanwhile, Villar spent the first day working at second base along with rookie Isan Diaz.

This will be an issue that bears watching as Camp Optimism progresses.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for four decades. Follow him on Twitter @CraigDavisRuns