Freespirit Fredi vs. G. I. Joe

'(T)hough it's a sensitive topic that some Marlins are reluctant to discuss, players have noticed differences.

'Matt Treanor said Gonzalez "is more relaxed with the guys. You knew where Joe was all the time. Fredi is letting us do what we need to do."

'Josh Willingham said Girardi, who sometimes ran with the players, was "a little" more hands-on: "Girardi told us more things early in spring training, where Fredi is kind of letting us get our feet wet."

'And Mike Jacobs said: "Girardi was a little more strict the way he wanted things done. Fredi is a little more loose."

'So is it better to have a manager who is more easygoing, or do these young Marlins need someone such as Girardi, who constantly is pushing them?

"I don't know. I kind of like the constant push," Jacobs said. "My biggest thing this year is hopefully we don't take the success we had last year for granted. We're still young. We have a lot of things to learn and work on."

'Another returning Marlin who requested anonymity (!) said the ideal approach would be "in the middle" between Girardi (who the player said micromanaged) and Gonzalez (who he said doesn't). That player likes how Gonzalez is "allowing guys to show their individuality," but wonders how some of the young players will respond if they're not being constantly pushed as they were last year, when Girardi called team meetings to express displeasure.

'Gonzalez, who likes to throw batting practice, said his style won't change in the regular season: "That has always been my approach every team I've had. I let the guys play and my coaching staff work. When I was coaching, I didn't like someone micromanaging me."

'Because he has a young team, does Gonzalez think he needs to push more? "No, I don't. If I see something that needs to be addressed, I will address it with that individual. And if that doesn't work, we'll try it again. And if that doesn't work, we'll get [GM Larry Beinfest] involved and we'll make it work somehow. I'm not here to embarrass anyone. I'm not calling a team meeting every other day."

'Said Miguel Cabrera: "He's a nice guy, but you have to respect him and play hard for him. If you don't, he will say something. That's good."' (MiamiHerald)