Top 50 Miami Marlins
Along with the Colorado Rockies, the Florida Marlins came into existence in 1993, although they have been far more successful than their expansion counterparts.
The Marlins won the Pennant in only their fourth year of existence, but surely, they could not beat the New York Yankees for the World Series! Florida did precisely that, shocking the world, and then they surprised everyone by conducting a fire sale, dismantling the team, and starting from scratch.
Florida again built a good team in 2003 and once again befuddled the baseball world by winning their second World Series. True to form, they repeated what they did after 1997 by cost-cutting and getting rid of the parts that won it for them.
Since that time, the Marlins changed their team name to the Miami Marlins but have remained to operate as a small market team.
This list is up to the end of the 2023 regular season.
Note: Baseball lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.
Anibal Sanchez was in the Red Sox organization when he was traded to Miami as part of the deal that sent Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to Beantown. Sanchez debuted in the Majors the following year, going 10-3, threw a no-hitter and had a 2.83 ERA. It was good enough for ninth place in Rookie of the Year voting. Sanchez was injured through much of 2007 and 2008, and when he did pitch, it was nothing like his rookie year. He was again injured through half of 2009, but his numbers were better than they had been, and it looked like a comeback…
Josh Beckett was a three-time All-Star in Boston and World Series Champion with them in 2007, but his heroics began in Florida, where if you had not been paying attention, his 2003 World Series run came out of nowhere. That was not the case, as Beckett arrived in Professional Baseball highly touted as the Second Overall Pick in 1999 following being named by USA Today as the High School Player of the Year, and the same publication named him the Minor League Baseball Player of the Year in 2000. He made it to the Majors as a September callup in 2001…
A versatile yet streaky Pitcher, A.J. Burnett began his 17-year career with the Florida Marlins over seven seasons (1999-06). Burnett bounced back and forth from the Majors and Minors in 1999 and 2000, with 2001 as the year entrenched himself in the Marlins rotation while throwing a no-hitter. He had a breakout of sorts in 2002, winning 12 Games to 9 Losses and leading the league in Shutouts (5) and H/9 (6.7). Burnett showed his ability to fan batters, whiffing 203 that year, but his control was an issue, and he was prone to Wild Pitches. The Marlins won the World Series…
The Marlins aren't known for trading for All-Stars, but in a seven-player deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 2014 Season, Dee Strange-Gordon, a reigning All-Star, was sent to South Beach. Strange-Gordon's first year as a Marlin was his best in the sport. Not only did he repeat as a National League All-Star, the Second Baseman won the Batting Title (.333) and was the top leadoff man in the league. Strange-Gordon led the NL in Hits (204) and Stolen Bases (58), and while his power numbers were light, he was still awarded the Silver Slugger. Throw in the Gold Glove, and you…
Derrek Lee was a First Round Pick by the Padres in 1993, and he made it to their main roster four years later, playing 22 Games in 1997. The Padres had the chance to trade for pitching ace, Kevin Brown, and they gave up Lee to get him. Lee would become Florida's starting First Baseman the year he arrived, but he struggled for two years before he broke out with a 28 HR/.281 BA year, and this would be the type of numbers that he provided the Marlins over the next three seasons. From 2001 to 2003, Lee had at least 20…
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One of the best base-stealers in Marlins history, Juan Pierre began his career with the Colorado Rockies, leading the NL in Stolen Bases in 2001. A year later, the speedy Outfielder was traded to the Marlins, where he became their leadoff hitter and continued the swipe bases at will. In his first season in Florida, Pierre led the NL in SB with 65, had 204 Hits, and batted a healthy .305. Pierre was instrumental in the Marlins winning the 2003 World Series, and he batted .333 over the series. This was the last time that Pierre was a champion, but not his final…
Miguel Rojas first made it to the Majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014, playing a year there before he was traded to the Marlins. In Rojas' first three years with Miami was primarily spent off of the bench. Playing most of his games at Shortstop, Rojas could easily be slotted into any other infield position, logging significant time at First, Second, and Third. Still, a Marlin as of this writing, Rojas has been a starter the last four years, and though he is light-hitting, his defensive skills make him an asset. He enters 2022 with a .271 Batting Average and…
Carl Pavano got more attention for being injury-plagued as a New York Yankee, but the team he played for before, the Florida Marlins, was where he was at his best. Traded from the Montreal Expos during the 2002 Season, Pavano finished the year 3-2 with a 3.79 ERA, starting eight of his 22 Games. Pavano was a permanent starter the following year, only going 12-13 with a 4.30 ERA and helping the Marlins win the World Series. He won two Games in the playoffs, allowing only three Runs over 19.1 Innings. Pavano followed that with his best season, going to his only…
A former Arizona Razorback, Brian Anderson, has played the first six years of his career with the Miami Marlins, debuting in 2017 for 25 Games, keeping his rookie eligibility intact for the following year. Anderson did enough in 2017 to win the starting Third Base job, and he would be fourth in Rookie of the Year voting with a 161 Hits, 11 Home Runs and a .273 Batting Average. Anderson had 20 Home Runs in 2019 with a .801 OPS, but a fractured metacarpal prematurely ended his year. Since that season, Anderson has struggled with injuries and was held to only 67…
Cody Ross had played briefly for Detroit, Los Angeles (NL), and was with Cincinnati for a pair of Games before his contract was sold to the Florida Marlins, where he would have an opportunity to play more. Ross appeared in 157 Games from 2006 to 2007 but was elevated to a starting role in the Outfield and had back-to-back 20 Home Run Seasons in 2009 and 2009, with respectable Batting Averages of .260 and .270, respectively. During the Marlins' cost-cutting, he was placed on waivers and was claimed by the San Francisco Giants. The Giants went on to win the World…
A.J. Ramos was a late round selection (21st) in 2009, and the Texan Pitcher was a Miami Marlin for the first five years and change of his career. Ramos was never a starter, and he began his MLB career in middle relief, which included a 7-0 season in 2014 where he had a 2.11 ERA over 68 Games. He did so well that year that the Marlins promoted him to be their closer, and he shut the door with 32 Saves in 2015 and 40 Saves in 2016. Ramos was especially good that year, going to the All-Star Game and posting career-highs…
Robb Nen played nine Games for the Texas Rangers before being traded to the Marlins in their expansion year. Nen was not very good the rest of the year, as his ERA was 7.01, but he got significantly better, and would be promoted to the team's closer during the following season. In 1995, Nen had an abysmal 0-7 record, but had a respectable 3.29 ERA, with 23 Saves. His best year in Florida came after, with 35 Saves and a 1.95 ERA, and though his ERA went back up over three in 1997, he equaled his 35 Saves from the year before. The…
Signed by the Seattle Mariners as an Amateur Free Agent in 2012, Venezuelan-born Pablo Lopez was traded as a minor league player to the Marlins in the summer of 2017. Lopez made the Marlins during the 2018 Season, and as of this writing, he has been in South Beach since. Pitching in the starting rotation since his debut, Lopez has dealt with shoulder problems but proved that he had the goods to deliver when healthy. In 2021, Lopez set the record for the most strikeouts to begin a game (9), and in a healthy 2022, he went 10-10 with 174 Strikeouts.…
Brad Penny is best known for his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he was a two-time All-Star, but before that, the Pitcher won a World Series Ring with the Florida Marlins. Penny began his career in the Diamondbacks organization, but before being promoted to the parent club, he was traded to Florida in the summer of 1999. Making the Marlins' Starting Rotation the following year, Penny was a middle-of-the-rotation starter over the next three years, going 26-24 in that time frame with a notable 154 SO year in 2001. Penny won 14 Starts in 2003, fanning 138 and helping the…
Jon Berti was taken with the Toronto Blue Jays in the 19th Round in 2011, but despite his low selection, he eventually made it to the Majors, appearing in four Games for Toronto in 2018. He was a Free Agent after, and was signed to a Minor League deal by the Miami Marlins. Berti proved valuable with his defensive versatility, and the Marlins used him in the Outfield, Third and Second. A light hitter, Berti showed speed, and he with increased playing time, he won the National League Stolen Base Title (41), and is arguably the most unlikely winner in…
Alex Fernandez played the first seven seasons of his career with the Chicago White Sox, with the last four establishing himself as one of the better Starting Pitchers in Baseball. A Free Agent going into 1997, Fernandez signed with his hometown team, the Florida Marlins, and was ready to help take them to the next level. Fernandez had a really good 1997, going 17-12 with a 3.59 ERA with 183 Strikeouts. The Marlins made the playoffs, but Fernandez was injured in the NLCS and was unable to participate in the 1997 World Series, though he won a ring anyway as Florida won…
A First Round Pick and former High School Player of the Year, Preston Wilson made the Mets in 1998, only for him to be traded two weeks later to Florida. Wilson only played 14 Games the rest of the year for the Marlins, going back to the Minors, but the year after, he was a starting Outfielder, and was second in Rookie of the Year voting (26 HR, .280). In 2000, Wilson was a 30/30 player (31 HR, 36 SB) and led the NL in Strikeouts with 187. He had back-to-back 23 Home Run years in 2001 and 2002 but would be…
Kevin Millar tasted Major League Baseball when the low minor league player was a replacement player in the 1995 Spring Training Games. It kept him from ever joining the Player’s Union, but it did not keep him from eventually reaching the Majors, first doing so in 1998 for a pair of Games. The year after, he was a regular on the roster. Millar gained more playing time in 1999 and 2000 and was the primary starter for the Marlins in the two years after. He batted over .300 and slugged over .500 in both seasons (.314 & .306) and showed moderate power, with…
Alex Gonzalez is an interesting player to rank, as the traditional stats, an All-Star (1999) and 788 Hits should place him much higher on a team like the Marlins. Playing at Shortstop for the Marlins from 1998 to 2005, Gonzalez did have a decent hit count, but his ability to draw walks was non-existent, and he only had a .291 OBP. Defensively, Gonzalez was inconsistent and had only one season as a Marlin where his Defensive bWAR was over one, which is not what you need for a Shortstop. His overall Marlins bWAR is under two, reflecting his deficiencies, though he had…