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--INF Dallas McPherson, competing for a roster spot, said he hopes to cut down on his strikeouts without his power numbers suffering. McPherson hit 42 home runs last year for Class AAA Albuquerque while striking out 168 times.
"I know some guys have said I'm an all-or-nothing kind of hitter. I kind of get tired of getting labeled that way," he said. "I feel like I'm more of a well-rounded player than people think."
--LHP Taylor Tankersley knows he has his work cut out for him this spring as he tries to win a bullpen spot. Last year, he broke camp with the Marlins but was sent to Class AAA in June. He was 0-1 with a 8.15 ERA in 25 appearances for the Marlins.
"I have to earn everything," said Tankersley, the organization's top draft pick in 2004, who appeared in 67 games for the Marlins in 2007.
--LHP Andrew Miller this spring will unveil a new delivery that the team hopes will reduce the impact on his problematic right knee and improve his control.
"It's a totally different delivery. Much more in line with his arm," said pitching coach Mark Wiley, who started working with Miller on the new mechanics last October, just days after the end of the 2008 season. The pair got together again in early January at the team's spring training complex.
--RHP Anibal Sanchez said he's "not too disappointed" about the team's decision to bar him from pitching for his native Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. Sanchez was limited to 10 starts in 2008 (2-5, 5.57 ERA) after starting the year on the disabled list recovering from shoulder surgery.
"We thought it was best for him to stay in camp with us," baseball operations president Larry Beinfest said.
--2B Dan Uggla, whose arbitration hearing was set for Feb. 11, said he's not bitter at the team for taking him to a hearing. "Not at all. It's a business," he said. "People don't realize it's kind of a chess match in a way." Uggla is seeking $5.3 million; the Marlins offered $4.4 million.
BY THE NUMBERS: 94 -- Home runs combined in 2008 by 2B Dan Uggla, SS Hanley Ramirez and 3B Jorge Cantu.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's frustrating because I don't feel like I've been able to be myself." -- LHP Andrew Miller, on tendinitis that plagued his right knee in 2008.
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