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 and was on the roster the whole season in 2002, albeit with an average season (6-7, 4.10 ERA).
Beckett was the Opening Day Starter in 2003 and had a pleasant season with a 9-8 year with a 3.04 ERA, which was decent, but he was on fire in the playoffs. He would win Games in both the NLCS and World Series, with the latter seeing Beckett with a 1.10 ERA and 0.796 WHIP. Beckett was named the World Series MVP, and the Marlins stunned the world by winning their second title.
After another respectable 2004 Season (9-9, 3.79), Beckett finally had a double-digit Win year (15-8) with a 3.38 ERA and 161 Strikeouts, and it was the best regular season that he had with Miami. It was also his last, as he was traded to Boston. With the Marlins, Beckett went 41-36 with 607 Strikeouts and a 3.46 ERA.
This might seem like a low rank for a World Series Champion, but the reality is that Beckett’s run, save for 2005 and his 2003 post-season, was average, and he only appeared in 106 Games. That being said, you can’t tell the Marlins story without Beckett.
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 to his rookie year was coming. Sanchez bounced back in 2010, with a 13-12 year and a 3.55 ERA, and he cracked 150 Strikeouts (157) for the first time. He had a losing record in 2011 (8-9), but he had better overall numbers, with 202 Strikeouts (6th), 9.260 SO/9 (3rd), and was eighth in bWAR (3.7).
The Marlins were not a good baseball team while Sanchez was there, and he was traded away during his contract season (2012). He would win an ERA Title in 2013 and a World Series Ring in 2019 with Washington with the Tigers.
Sanchez had a record of 44-45 with 676 Strikeouts with the Marlins.
Ricky Nolasco might be one of the tenured Pitchers in Marlins history, though the fact that he was never a staff ace impacts his ranking, especially on a Top 50 list like this.
Nolasco toiled in the Cubs minor league system for four years before being traded to the Marlins before the 2006 Season. In Miami, Nolasco immediately made the Marlins roster, going 11-11, despite an ERA near five. Injured for most of the 2007 Season, Nolasco was back and, over the next five years, was an intriguing Pitcher, winning far more games than he lost, though his ERA was bloated due to the high amount of Hits he allowed. Despite this, Nolasco did not walk many batters and had a Marlins SO/BB of 3.51, which is the highest in franchise history.
Nolasco was dealt to the Dodgers during the 2013 Season, and as of this writing, he is the all-time leader in Wins (81), Innings Pitched (1,225.2), and Strikeouts.
The Marlins drafted J.T. Realmuto in the Third Round in 2010, and after four years in the minors, the Catcher made it to the main roster, playing 11 Games in 2014. The Marlins knew that Realmuto was the Catcher moving forward, and he took over behind the plate in 2015.
Realmuto struggled as a rookie, with an OBP under .300, though his arm defensively was an asset. He was much better in 2016, batting .303 and hitting at least .277 the next two years. Realmuto's power numbers grew, belting 17 in 2017 with 21 in 2018. He went to his first All-Star Game in 2018, and was also a Silver Slugger, and to date, it was the best of his career.
Since this was the Marlins, you know what happened next.
As typical with Miami, they traded Realmuto away when they decided he no longer fit their budget, and his play elevated in Philadelphia, matching the higher salary he made as a Phillie. Realmuto had 555 Hits with Philadelphia and batted .279.