JUPITER, Fla. -- "Stop it! Stop it!"
It's hard not to hear Marlins infield coach Perry Hill when he's working in the Bone Yard located at Miami's spring training complex at Roger Dean Stadium.
Hill, an infield guru nicknamed "Bone," doesn't contain his excitement when a player makes a solid defensive play during drills.
"Sometimes you work on something and you practice it and practice it and you practice it, and all of a sudden it kicks in," Hill said. "That's when you get, 'Stop it, that's what I'm talking about! That's it! That's it!'
"You just get a little motivation of, 'We're finally there. Now, let's get the repetition and refine it.' "
This spring, Hill has his hands full.
There are three new starters in the infield: Garrett Jones, Rafael Furcal and Casey McGehee. The lone returner, shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, will enter just his second full big-league season.
Then there are prospects such as Derek Dietrich and Colin Moran, who are either learning a new position or experiencing their first major-league camp.
During home games in Jupiter, players head to the Bone Yard following batting practice and go through drills for a half hour.
Entering Thursday's game in Lakeland against the Detroit Tigers, the remaining Marlins infielders have committed eight errors.
"I throw a lot of stuff at them," Hill said. "Sometimes it's not pretty early in spring, but you know what, a bunch of guys come from different spots, and we're trying to get them to all mesh. It takes a while. You've got to be a little bit patient.
"By the middle-end of the month, we're going to be right where we want to be, but we've got a lot of different guys and personalities. It's not like they came up through the system learning all this. It takes a while."
Here is Hill's breakdown of the starting infield and a couple utility players ...
1B GARRETT JONES
Garrett Jones.
2013: 83 games, 6 errors, 73 double plays, .992 fielding percentage
Career: 339 games, 24 errors, 247 double plays, .992 fielding percentage
Spring: 49 IP, 1 error, 3 double plays, .980 fielding percentage
Hill: I had him in Pittsburgh. He's solid. He positions himself well, and that's it. I tell all these guys. If you're in the right spot, more good things are going to happen. That's the key is being in the right spots.
2B RAFAEL FURCAL
Rafael Furcal.
2013: Did not play (Tommy John surgery)
Spring: 30 IP, 0 errors, 2 double plays, 1.000 fielding percentage
Hill: There's a lot of little things he had to learn. Most people think it's just a shorter throw, but there's a lot more going on there than you think. Most of what you do is going away from the intended target. I think he's realizing now that there's more to it than he thought. But he's made really good progress. His pivot is getting better and better each day. His double-play feeds are getting better. That's what you look for. It's always on a steady rise, never been leveled off or going the other way.
SS ADEINY HECHAVARRIA
2013: 148 games, 15 errors, 89 double plays, .976 fielding percentage
Adeiny Hechavarria.
Spring: 51 IP, 1 error, 3 double plays, .955 fielding percentage
Hill on Hechavarria/Furcal connection: They're just talking, getting to know each other. It helps if you have a rapport. It's not necessary, but it helps when you do. Every little bit helps. Anything (Furcal) can tell these guys is nothing but a plus for us.
3B CASEY McGEHEE
2013: 18 games, 1 error, 8 double plays, .992 fielding percentage (in Japan)
Stats: 49 IP, 0 errors, 1 double play, 1.000 fielding percentage
Casey McGehee.
Hill: I like him. Good student, hard worker. He's one of those guys you have to chase off the field. He's a good worker. That's always good. You get one of those guys, you want to hold onto those kind. I think that's just his DNA. He's a grinder and a worker. He's one of those kind you want.
UTL DEREK DIETRICH
2013: 57 games, 2 errors, 31 double plays, .992 fielding percentage (at 2B)
Career: Same
Spring: 57 2/3 IP, 2 errors, 2 double plays, .909 fielding percentage
Derek Dietrich.
Hill on Dietrich at third base: It's an adjustment. I think he's turned into a really good second baseman. He's got to learn to play different spots. It'll enhance his ability to make a higher club. He's done well. Once again, playing in the middle you get to see the pitch and the location. At third, you don't.
That was completely new. He had to learn to do things the other way. The advantage in the middle is you can see the pitch called and the location. Here, sometimes the ball gets up on you. It's an adjustment period. It's not just, 'Go over there and catch it.' He's doing well. He got really good at second base. There's no reason we think he can't do it at third.
UTL JEFF BAKER
2013: 32 games, 1 error, 9 double plays, .993 fielding percentage (infield)
Career: 465 games, 24 errors, 152 double plays, .985 fielding percentage (overall)
Spring: 21 IP, 0 errors, 0 double plays, 1.000 fielding percentage
Hill: He's as good as gold.
You can follow Christina De Nicola on Twitter @CDeNicola13 or email her at cdenicola13@gmail.com.
