Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — While Rafael Furcal has won raves in the Miami Marlins' camp for his enthusiasm and energy, doubts persist about his hitting and health.
Furcal sat out the 2013 season after undergoing surgery on his throwing elbow, and he's mounting a career comeback at age 36. The Marlins gave Furcal a $3 million, one-year contract, and expect him to provide veteran leadership as their second baseman.
The three-time All-Star as a shortstop has done plenty of winning, reaching the playoffs nine times in a 14-year career. He was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals' World Series championship team in 2011 and made the All-Star team for the third time in 2012.
But his slugging percentage in 2011-12 was only .347, well below his career average of .403, and he began this week 1 for 13 in spring training.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
