Are the Marlins Legit?

Doug Butabi: So anyways, I was standing there waiting to use the pay phone.
Steve ButabYeahi:Yeah, he was, seriously.
Doug Butabi And this guy who was on the phone, turns around and tips his hat like this.
Steve Butabi: And who do you think that guy was?
Doug Butabi: Emilio Estevez.
Steve Butabi: The Mighty Duck man, I swear to God, I was there.
Doug Butabi: Of course you were, you were the one who yelled the Breakfast Clubber's name.
Steve Butabi: I was like, "Emiliooooooooooooooo."


That's a tough question to ask, who asked it? Oh me, so I have to now answer.

First I'll give the copout answer, it depends on your definition of legit. Are the Marlins going to be the best team in baseball? No. Are they likely going to be in the race all year? Yea.

Now I'll give my real answer: the Marlins are not legit. They are not a 10-1 Team. They have 6 wins against the Nationals, and as I type this they are down 8-0 against Pittsburgh. They have won several close games, and won 2 games against the Nationals on blown saves. Emilio Bonifacio has struggled recently, and he's still hitting .321/.345/.434, to show how unreasonably well he was playing early. He's likely to bat .260/.320/.350 the rest of the way. The Marlins have won in spite of his recent struggles, but that doesn't mean the Marlins will continue to win at this pace.

It's not like the Marlins are a bad team though, only getting lucky, they have a solid club. The Marlins pitching is great. Josh Johnson is going to be a Cy Young candidate (although Mr. Santana is starting off pretty pretty good), Nolasco is going to find his groove, Anibal Sanchez looks like he'll have a good rebound year (not great but good), and Chris Volstad has looked very solid as well. Also, Hanley Ramirez has been struggling recently and he won't bat .245 all year.

However, in March most people figured the Mets and Phillies were better than the Marlins, I'm not about think differently after 12 games. Yea Josh Johnson's rise has to be taken into consideration, but even so, it doesn't mean the Marlins atop the NL East is something we should get used to seeing.

UPDATE: When I wrote this for whatever reason, I forgot about the Phillies pitching troubles. I was still under the assumption that Hamels is a clear ace, but last years heroics have clearly affected him this year. Unless he reemerges as a legitimate ace, I'd say it's pretty likely the Marlin, and even the Braves can pass the Phillies.