Jeremy

Hermida

Hermida, 21, is Florida’s top prospect, while Stokes, 23, was the MVP of the Midwest League in 2002. VP of player personnel Dan Jennings said of the young sluggers: ''They’re growing into their bodies, they’re learning their swings, they’re learning to read pitchers and make adjustments. That takes time. No matter how good the raw skills are, the skills of learning how to play take time to develop. And that’s the advantage of getting time in the minor leagues.’'

His hits were a double and a triple, and the three walks put him at 101 for the season. Hermida is batting .303/.469/.531 with 22 steals in 24 attempts. The Marlins probably won’t put him in the starting lineup in September, but they’re going to have to call him up and let him help out as a bench player.

Hermida is hitting just 2-for-24 in August after hitting .345 in June and .266 in July. He should be back in the lineup on Friday.

Hermida had been just 5-for-25 since coming off the disabled list last week. The home run was his second in 49 at-bats this season.

The extra-base hit was his first in 16 at-bats since returning from the disabled list. Hermida was starting in center field for the first time with Joe Borchard in right today. If the Marlins were to consider using that alignment more often it could only help Hermida’s chances of playing full-time again, but it’s not something we would expect to happen regularly. He may still sit against tough left-handers, but Hermida should be activated in NL-only formats.

Hermida is hitting just .120 in August, but manager Joe Girardi claims that isn’t the reason he was dropped in the lineup. ''No one should really look into it a lot,’' Girardi said. ``It’s just where I put him [Monday].’'

Hermida isn’t playing against left-hander Sean Marshall tonight, but he’ll start in right field against right-handers and he should emerge as a full-time player later on. Joe Borchard will get less playing time while Hermida is out.

The Marlins face lefties the next two games so Hermida likely won’t start. He could be used as a pinch-hitter if he’s activated Monday.

Hermida is ready now, but a few more at-bats won’t hurt, and the Marlins would prefer to send down Robert Andino to make room for him, something they can’t do until Hanley Ramirez returns from a shoulder injury.

Hermida isn’t showing much power yet, but he is batting .333 during June. He’ll only continue to improve, and it’s possible that he’ll deliver 10-12 homers and just as many steals over the rest of the year.