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Maybin bidding to stay up

All spring, the Marlins have said they wont rush center fielder Cameron Maybin to the big leagues. But with the season less than two weeks from starting, he is making a strong case to begin the year as Floridas starting center fielder.

“A lot of times decisions are made before the end even comes up,” said Maybin, 20. “In my mind, I feel like Im doing what I set out to do, and thats to make the decision hard.” Maybin had a stretch last week in which he had three home runs in two games, including two to the opposite field. His last homer was his most memorable of the spring: With two outs and two strikes in the ninth inning Thursday night, he hit a line-drive, two-run homer that lifted the Marlins to a 2-1 win over the Washington Nationals in Viera, Fla.

In all likelihood, Maybin will open the season in the minors, with Cody Ross or Alejandro De Aza starting in center. But manager Fredi Gonzalez said he might not decide until the final days of camp.

“Right now its going to be one of those all-night meetings and maybe even early into the next morning to make that decision,” Gonzalez said. “Hes making it that tough on us, which is good.”

Maybin was batting .250 with three homers and eight RBIs through Sunday. De Aza was batting .355 with three homers and nine RBIs. Ross still could prevail despite his numbers .226.

The Marlins are keeping in mind that Maybin had only 49 major league at-bats last year.

“You dont want him to get here and be overmatched,” said Marlins special assistant Andre Dawson, a former All-Star outfielder who has been working with Maybin. “They can lose a lot of confidence that way.

“You groom him slowly and you let him get a taste, like hes getting. Hes in big-league camp, and he gets to see major league pitching.

“If he doesnt win the job, he goes back to the minor leagues and he has that experience. He knows hes going to get back — its just a matter of how hard he works.”

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Cameron Maybin still wears the gold necklace with his favorite number, 24, on a coin-size charm. He received it as a Christmas gift from his father in 2005 — a sign of the centerfielders connection to idol and mentor Ken Griffey Jr.

For the first two years of Maybins professional career, though, he didnt have the same numerals on his back. At West Michigan, he wore 30. At Lakeland, he wore 11. In Detroit, during his whirlwind call-up, he wore 4.

Then came the blockbuster December trade in which the Tigers acquired stars Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Florida Marlins. Detroit surrendered six players: Maybin, pitcher Andrew Miller, catcher Mike Rabelo, and minor league pitchers Burke Badenhop, Eulogio De La Cruz and Dallas Trahern.