If Southern League championships were determined by how good a team looks on paper, it's going to be a memorable season at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
The Suns are now the Double-A affiliate of the Florida Marlins , and a handful of the new Suns played for the Carolina Mudcats, the Double-A affiliate of the Marlins last season. The Mudcats won the North division and made it to the league championship series before losing to Mississippi. The returning players from that Carolina team will be joined by a strong group of Class A players who played in Jupiter in 2008 under Suns manager Brandon Hyde and who pitched under Suns pitching coach Reid Cornelius.
"I think we have a good mixture of speed and power from our hitters, and I like our rotation and our bullpen," said Hyde, whose Suns open the season against the Tennessee Smokies at the Baseball Grounds at 7:05 p.m. Thursday in the first of 140 scheduled games. "We just have to catch the ball and do things the right way, and we should be OK."
The Suns could field a lineup with several home-run threats. Five players hit nine or more home runs last year, led by outfielder Bryan Peterson, who hit 23.
Five players hit at least six home runs for a Double-A team in 2008.
"There's a lot of power with his club. We were first or second in the Florida State League in homers last year, and we had the biggest park to hit in, by far," Hyde said. "We're primarily a left-handed hitting team, and that sets up well with the ballpark [317 feet down the right-field line]."
One of the top hitters joining the Suns this season is 21-year-old Logan Morrison, a power-hitting first baseman.
"He's so strong that while he hits a lot of line drives, if he gets under the ball, he'll muscle it out of the ballpark," Hyde said.
There's also strength in the pitching staff. Two of the five starters - Sean West and Aaron Thompson - were first-round draft picks by the Marlins in 2005. Both have a history of injuries, but both appear to be fully healthy now.
Willie Glen was one of the league's top pitchers last season. He had a 9-4 record and a 2.01 ERA. At 31, he's four years older than all but one Suns player.
Graham Taylor will start Thursday. The 24-year-old left-hander was 11-6 in Jupiter last year before spending the last part of the season in Carolina.
"We've got some guys with a good variety of pitching, including the three lefties in the rotation, and they've all got good stuff," Cornelius said. "Bullpen was our strength last year, and we've got several of those guys here this season, plus we've added some guys."
jeff.elliott@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4292
JACKSONVILLE SUNS VS. TENNESSEE SMOKIES
When: 7:05 p.m. Thursday.
Where: Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
Radio: WFXJ (930 AM).
PHOTOS
View a gallery of the Suns' practice on Tuesday at jacksonville.com/photos
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