Nightengale: Marlins will be something special

Bob Nightengale | USA TODAY Sports

JUPITER, Fla. - They hear the buzz circulating outside the clubhouse, but this time they're ignoring it.

They feel the haughty expectations and hype in Miami, but this time they're not buying into it.

You tell the Miami Marlins they're your pick to win the National League pennant and play against the Seattle Mariners in the World Series, and they don't want to hear it.

The Marlins, you see, still have those horrifying memories of 2012. They were supposed to be the team to beat after their free agent feeding frenzy, signing Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell and hiring manager Ozzie Guillen. They finished dead last. When the season ended, the trio was dumped and Guillen was fired.

"We learned our lesson,'' All-Star right fielder Giancarlo Stanton tells USA TODAY Sports. "We realize that no matter how much talent you have, that if you don't mesh in the clubhouse, it won't trickle onto the field.

"We need to master both if we're going to do this.''

The Marlins, the team that made fire sale a part of the lexicon in Miami, a team that lost 100 games two years ago, are now carrying the torch for their region.

The Miami Heat haven't been heard of since LeBron James ditched them over the summer.

The Miami Dolphins haven't been to the Super Bowl since the 1984 season, reaching the playoffs once since 2002.

The Florida Panthers haven't finished higher than fifth place in five of the last six years, with one playoff appearance since 1999-2000.

It's now up to the Marlins and Stanton, a national treasure of a power hitter who signed a contract almost worth the U.S. treasury. Stanton signed a 13-year, $325 million deal during the offseason, the most lucrative contract in North American sports history.

You can buy a whole lot of pina coladas at the Clevelander for that kind of dough, but Stanton never would have given the Marlins his autograph if he didn't believe life would now be different in South Beach.

He saw signs last year when the Marlins finished 15 games better than in 2013. Then, the front office went out and brought in starter Mat Latos, infielders Martin Prado, Dee Gordon and Michael Morse, future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki and starter Dan Haren.

Now, he's a believer.

"Let's call it quiet confidence,'' Stanton says.

The Marlins front office can't hide its enthusiasm either, with general manager Dan Jennings asking aloud, "Is that clubhouse as good as I think it is?"

"I just love the energy and the passion in there,''' Jennings said. "And they respect the game and play it right. You see all of that, and you can't help but get excited.

"Knock on wood: This team has got a chance to be special.''

Even the great Ichiro, who arrived 14 years ago from Japan, says this team is unlike any he has ever been on with the combination of youth and experience and the influx of young Latin players.

"I was shocked about being with so many young kids,'' he says. "If I had a kid when I was 18 years old, they could be in this clubhouse. But it's fun to be with these guys and be in the middle of it.

"And I've never been on a team with so many Latin players.''

So is he picking up Spanish these days?

"English first,'' Suzuki says, in perfect English.

Suzuki might be only a fourth outfielder at this stage of his career, but the Marlins players have gravitated toward him, laughing hysterically as he cuts jokes in the clubhouse, teaching a new Japanese word each day to 24-year-old outfielder Marcell Ozuna.

"Ichiro asked me one day, 'Is (Ozuna) crazy?' '' Jennings says. "I said, 'Yeah, maybe partly.' Ichiro just laughed. It's pretty funny stuff seeing a 23-year-old Latin kid and a 41-year-old Japanese veteran bond the way they do.''

It's a whole new era in Miami. And none of this would be possible without Stanton agreeing to perhaps spend the rest of his career in South Florida, albeit with an opt-out clause after six years.

"That changed everything,'' Jennings said. "That was the sail of the ship.''

The contract was daunting and, like all hefty contracts, controversial in baseball circles. Yet this was the rare megacontract not privately ridiculed by the commissioners' office.

"I see the contract as a sign of the current ownership's commitment to Miami,'' Commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters Tuesday at the Marlins camp. "I see Miami as a really, really, important market for us, in terms of expanding the game into Latin America.

"I see it as a positive on both fronts.''

Certainly, it attracted the attention of the rest of the Marlins. There were four other players who also were offered contract extensions - ace Jose Fernandez, outfielders Christian Yelich and Ozuna and shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria. Yet they all decided to pass, thinking that if they can play up to their abilities, maybe they can strike it rich, too.

"We want them to think that way,'' Jennings said. "They have a bond because they basically came through the minor leagues together. When you look at that nucleus of young kids, wow. Look at the blueprint the Yankees laid when they had their core. It was a pretty good core back in the day.''

Yes, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams and Mariano Rivera did all right together, winning four World Series titles in five years.

"The talent in here is crazy,'' Gordon says. "Look around, man, this is sick.''

No one is predicting a dynasty, let alone the NL East division title this year, but they will be in the playoffs for the first time since 2003. And playing deep into October.

They have the best young outfield in the game, a tremendous array of talent in the infield and a strong bullpen, and they will have the best midseason pickup of any team in the game. Fernandez, who missed last year after Tommy John elbow surgery, is scheduled back sometime around the All-Star break.

"I've never had a player attack rehab like Jose,'' Jennings said. "He's counting on being back.''

And once Fernandez is back in the rotation, considering he has yielded a 2.25 ERA and struck out 10.3 batters per nine innings in 36 career starts, you can't blame a team for dreaming big.

"It's pretty impressive being here,'' Haren says. "You watched K.C. last year. That outfield defense, that superb bullpen. Well, I see the same thing here. This team is pretty special.''

Shhh, just don't tell anybody. The Marlins hope to catch the world by surprise.

"I know we have a lot of talent and everything seems great,'' Prado says, "but it's too early to make a lot of noise. Let's don't talk what we're going to do. Let's just do it.

"Then we'll talk all you want.''

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