Slugger is happy to come home
Trade brings Coral Springs native to Miami Marlins.
Lewis Brinson, a Coral Springs native and the Miami Marlins’ prize from the Christian Yelich trade Thursday, gets it.
He knows that a lot of fans are angry about the latest ros“I ter blowup, that they’ve endured losing seasons for most of the team’s existence, that they’re skeptical that this rebuild really will work.
Brinson, 23, knows because he was a Marlins fan — and, now, is again a Marlins fan in addition to their potential Opening Day center fielder.
And he’s “super excited” to be a part of it.
“I can’t wait to bring this organization back to where it once was,” Brinson said on a teleconference with local reporters Friday. “I’m really excited to be a part of that in the future, and I think our future is pretty bright. think the fans have a lot to be excited for. Obviously they’re hurt, but I think they’re going to be surprised to see what we have to offer.”
CORAL GABLES — The Hurricanes baseball team, which is set to open practice on Friday, will get a chance this season to see how it matches up against a professional club.
The Marlins announced Thursday they will host the Hurricanes in a spring training game at Marlins Park on March 27. First pitch is set for 3:10 p.m., and fans can buy tickets starting Feb. 10.
Tickets will be available at both Marlins.com and at the Marlins Park ticket office. They’ll start at $15.
The Marlins and Hurricanes have a history of playing exhibition games dating back 1997, their first of 13 meetings.
Understandably, the pros have had the upper hand, posting a 10-2-1 record in the all-time series with the Hurricanes picking up victories in 2005 and 2011.
In their last meeting — in Jupiter in 2016 — the Marlins posted a 5-1 win.
Both teams are expected to enter their respective seasons facing questions after major offseason changes.
The Hurricanes, who are unranked in Baseball America’s preseason Top 25 poll but checked in at No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches Poll released Thursday, are looking to bounce back after a tough 2017 season. Miami went 31-27 last year and despite a late-season surge, was left out of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1972.
The Marlins have traded away four of their star players since the end of the season after changes in team ownership and management.
Jim Morris will begin his 25th and final season as Hurricanes coach and infielder Romy Gonzalez, pitchers Jeb Bargfeldt, Andrew Cabezas and Frankie Bartow are expected to be among Miami’s veteran leaders.
The Hurricanes open the season Feb. 16 with a threegame series against Rutgers. The Marlins, meanwhile, will play their first spring training game on Feb. 23 in Jupiter against the Cardinals.
ccabrera @sunsentinel.com
The Miami Marlins announced Friday they are expanding the protective netting behind home plate at Marlins Park in advance of this season, joining most of the rest of the league in doing so after recent heightened safety concerns.
“The safety of our fans will always be a priority for this organization,” CEO Derek Jeter said in a statement.
Under the new setup, netting will be 30 feet high and extend to the far ends of both dugouts, then taper to the end of the camera wells just past the first- and third-base bags. The netting offers extra protection to sections 8-10 and 19-21 (three sections behind each dugout).
“The new netting is a state-of-the-art knotless fiber that will provide exceptional protection and is purposely designed to blend into the playing surface,” the Marlins said in a release. “It is 30 percent thinner than the existing netting behind home plate, offering greater visibility of game action.”
Dyneema manufactures the netting. The Marlins noted that this upgrade exceeds MLB’s Fan Safety Recommendations, and they were already in compliance with the league’s guidelines.
The netting will be installed by the time the Marlins host the University of Miami baseball team for an exhibition March 27.
The Marlins are the 26th team — out of 30 — to install/announce their intentions to install expanded netting at a time when major leaguers are on average throwing and hitting baseballs harder than ever before, raising fears of injuries to those sitting close to the field.
Ten clubs had expanded netting in 2017, and 15 others plus the Marlins have said they have plans to add it for 2018.