Miller, planned ballpark give Marlins hope

It was only an exhibition game, but the Yankees saw enough of Andrew Miller this week. Johnny Damon: whiff; Bobby Abreu: swing and a miss; Alex Rodriguez: 97 mph, strike three.

"I wanted to keep my adrenaline under control a lot of times, but I think pitching under the lights, against the Yankees, puts some adrenaline in you," Marlins pitcher Andrew Miller, 22, told the Palm Beach Post. "To see a lineup like that, there's no better test to start off the season."

It's tough to anoint a pitcher less than two years removed from college baseball as the ace of the staff, but that's the fast track Miller is on for the Marlins. The hard-throwing 6-foot-6 lefty – who has evoked comparisons to Randy Johnson – came to Florida in the Miguel Cabrera/Dontrelle Willis deal.

Miller went 5-5 in 13 spot starts for the Tigers last season, who picked him in the first round in 2008 out of North Carolina. He went 3-0 this spring, and the first time around the NL could be tough on Marlins opponents. If he becomes the small-market Big Unit, the Marlins could be better than people think.

But probably not this year. Florida's problem: The rest of the rotation could be a mess. Journeyman Mark Hendrickson will be the opening-day starter, and the others in the rotation are Rick VandenHurk, Scott Olsen and Ricky Nolasco. That's not exactly Maddux-Glavine-Smoltz.

Other Marlins storylines:

• The team's sketchy future came into focus this spring as financing was secured for a new ballpark for the Marlins, so they can finally play in a stadium not built for football. The retractable dome stadium will be built on the old site of the Orange Bowl, which is being razed. The Marlins hope to be in it by 2011.
• Cameron Maybin, who also came over from Detroit in the Cabrera/Willis deal, is the team's center fielder of the future. But for now, he's headed for Zebulon, N.C.
• In what might be one of the worst ideas for between-inning entertainment since Disco Demolition Night, the Marlins will have a dance team comprised of overweight men.

Photo: Starting pitcher Andrew Miller of the Florida Marlins pitches against the Boston Red Sox during a spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium on March 3, 2008 in Jupiter, Fla. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

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