Before Christian Yelich was an MVP, he was a star on the rise with the Miami Marlins.

Yelich was a late 2010 First Round Pick in 2010, and the Californian made his first appearance in the Majors three years later.  Playing at Leftfield, Yelich became a starter with the Marlins in 2014, winning a Gold Glove with a 165-Hit, .2984 Batting Average.  Yelich had another season in 2015, and in 2016, he increased his power stats to 21 Home Runs, captured a Silver Slugger while still flirting with a .300 BA (.298). 

Yelich had his second straight 170 Hit year in 2017, and he secured another year where he belted over 18 Home Runs, 80 RBIs, and batted over .280.  He was a star on the rise, but as what was typical with the Marlins, he was traded away, his case being Milwaukee, where he would win the MVP.

With the Marlins, Yelich had 719 Hits with a .290 Batting Average.

A member of the rare 500 Home Run club, Gary Sheffield accomplished that feat over eight teams, with two of them being clubs he had at least 100 HR.  The Marlins were one of those teams.

The Marlins were Sheffield’s third team, and he was traded from San Diego to Florida midway during their expansion season.  Sheffield had the power, speed and average, and he had his best season with the Marlins in 1996.  That year, he smacked 42 Home Runs, 120 RBIs, and led the NL in OBP (.465), OPS (1.090) and OPS+ (189).  Sheffield won the Silver Slugger that year, and was sixth in MVP voting.

Sheffield had a down year in 1997, but it didn’t end that way.  The Marlins shocked everyone by winning the World Series in only their fourth year of existence, with Sheffield hitting a Home Run in every series.  There should have been so much more for Sheffield in South Beach, but right after the Marlins won it all, they went into garage sale mode, with Sheffield being traded during the ’98 season to the Dodgers.

With the Marlins, Sheffield blasted 122 Home Runs with a .970 OPS.

Cliff Floyd began his baseball career with the Montreal Expos, a team he played four years before being traded to the Florida Marlins in 1997.

Floyd played mostly off the bench in his first year in Florida, but he did help them win their first World Series Championship.  He became a starter in Leftfield in 1998, smacking 22 Home Runs, a total he matched again in 2000 when he batted an even .300.  Floyd had his best year in a Marlins uniform in 2001, going to the All-Star Game and hitting 31 Home Runs, 103 RBIs with a .317 Batting Average.   Floyd had come into his own, but he was traded in July the following year, returning to the Expos.

With the Marlins, Floyd batted .294 with 110 Home Runs.

In an earlier entry, we mentioned that Luis Castillo is one of three Marlins to have won both of the Marlins’ World Series titles, but only one of the three was a starter in both.  That man in Jeff Conine.

Conine would become an original Marlin, taken in the Expansion Draft from Kansas City after appearing in 37 Games for the Royals.   He would become a starter at Leftfield for the Marlins, participating in all 162 Games and finishing third in National League Rookie of the Year voting.  Conine had 174 Hits that year, a career-high, but he was a more complete player over the next two seasons, going to the All-Star Game in both years with .300 years.  Conine belted at least 25 Home Runs in 1995 and 1996, and he was established as one of the better players on the Marlins roster.

1997 was a strange year in Baseball, mainly because the Marlins, a team that was only in existence for four years, winning it all.  Conine had his weakest year to date, but he was a solid part of their championship.  The Marlins unloaded all of their stars, including Conine, who was sent to Kansas City.

Late in the 2003 Season, he was traded back to Florida (this time from Baltimore), and he helped them win their second World Series Title.  Conine played for the Marlins until he rejoined the Orioles as a Free Agent after the 2006 Season.

With the Marlins, Conine had 1,005 Hits, 120 Home Runs with a Slash Line of .290/.358/.455.

When Jose Fernandez was 15, he and his mother successfully defected from Cuba (on their fourth attempt) and settled in Florida.  A baseball prodigy, Fernandez would become a First Round Pick in the Amateur Draft in 2011, and two years later, he was a Miami Marlin.

Fernandez wasn't just a rookie with a great story, and he was a phenom who won the National League Rookie of the Year with a 12-6 Record, a 2.19 ERA, and a league-leading 5.8 H/9.  Fernandez had a sub-1.000 WHIP, was an All-Star, and finished third in Cy Young voting, completing one of the most dynamic seasons by a Pitcher under 21.  

Named the youngest Opening Day Pitcher since Dwight Gooden in 1986, Fernandez's second MLB year went off the rails with a torn UCL in May.  Fernandez underwent Tommy John Surgery and returned late in July of 2015.  With an advanced repertoire, Fernandez was an All-Star again in 2016, and by late September, he had 16 Wins and 253 Strikeouts, but tragedy would rear its ugly head.

Fernandez died in a boating accident on September 25, 2016, at the age of 24, ending what could have been one of been a spectacular career.  As it stood, Fernandez left us with what might have been.

A Rule 5 Pick from the Diamondbacks organization, Dan Uggla proved to be an excellent pickup for the Marlins.

Uggla's best year was arguably his rookie season, where he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting, had a career-high 172 Hits, and batted .282.  The Second Baseman was an All-Star that year and was so again in 2007, where he batted .260 with 32 Hits.  

After his third year, Uggla was established as a good power-hitting infielder with respectable defense.  Uggla blasted over 30 Home Runs in his fourth and fifth year, giving him four straight 30-plus years in the HR stat column.  

The Marlins did what they always do, and they traded Uggla for younger players after the 2010 Season.  With Florida, Uggla had 154 Home Runs, 465 RBIs, and an OPS of .837.

A product of the New York Yankees organization, Mike Lowell made it to the parent club late in 1998, appearing in eight Games.  The loaded Yanks traded Lowell to Miami for three players, and Lowell would become their starter at the hot corner the following year.

Lowell may never have been the elite Third Baseman of the NL, but there was a time where he was in that upper-tier.  He had his first 20 HR year in 2000 and would then have three straight from 2002 to 2004, all of which earned Lowell a trip to the All-Star Game.  His best season as a Marlin was 2003, where he posted career-bests in Home Runs (32), RBIs (105), Slugging (.530) and OPS (.881).  Lowell was a Silver Slugger this year, 11^th in MVP voting, but more importantly, aided Florida in winning their second World Series.

After having a down year offensively in 2005, (though he did win his first and only Gold Glove), Lowell was traded to the Red Sox.  With the Marlins, Lowell produced 965 Hits, 143 Home Runs with a Batting Average of .272.

We may have stated that Josh Johnson was the best Marlins Pitcher of all time, but the most dynamic was Dontrelle Willis.

While he was in the minors in the Cubs organization, Willis was traded to the Marlins and would debut the following year.  The southpaw was an instant sensation, winning the Rookie of the Year with a 14-6 record.  Willis had a sophomore slump (10-11 4.02 ERA), but his 2005 was phenomenal.  Not only did Willis return to the All-Star Game, but he also led the National League in Wins (22), Complete Games (7), and Shutouts (5) and would have career highs in ERA (2.63) and Strikeouts (170).  He narrowly lost out on the Cy Young to St. Louis' Chris Carpenter.

After an average 2006 (12-12, 3.87 ERA), Willis' career eroded in 2007, where his ERA ballooned over five and allowed more Earned Runs (118) than any other Pitcher in the NL.  Willis was traded to Detroit, and he was beset with injuries and was never the same again.  

Willis would likely be ranked a little higher had his WHIP not been over 1.350 and his poor final year as a Marlin, though it somewhat evened out with his .234 Batting Average (82 Hits) and 8 Home Runs.

When we talk about the Marlins players, like we did with Giancarlo Stanton, the real good ones are often traded to avoid paying expanding salaries.  This would also be the case with Hanley Ramirez, but it is also the method in which he arrived.

After playing only two Games for the Red Sox in 2005, he was traded at season's end to Florida as one of the many players sent in exchange for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell.  Ramirez became an instant player with the Marlins, winning the National League Rookie of the Year.  The Shortstop had no sophomore slump, increasing his stats and finishing tenth for the MVP.

Ramirez had similar stats in 2008, but he was an All-Star this time, and he led the NL in Runs (125).  He would go to All-Star Games in the next two years, with his 2009 being especially remarkable, as he won the Batting Title (.342) and finished second for the MVP to the legendary Albert Pujols.  

The Marlins would do what was typical for them, and they traded Ramirez when they could no longer afford him, with the Dodgers being his landing place, although the Marlins was where by far Ramirez was most successful.

As good as Giancarlo Stanton was, it is Ramirez who is the current franchise leader in Offensive bWAR, a testament to his abilities and a knock on his below average defense.  Ramirez had 1,103 Hits, a .300 Batting Average, and 148 Home Runs.

Drafted in the 2^nd Round of the 2007 Amateur Draft, Giancarlo Stanton would move quickly through the Marlins organization, debuting at age 20 for the parent club in 2010.

Stanton immediately showed off his power game, smacking 22 Home Runs as a rookie in 396 Plate Appearances, and two years later, he won his first Slugging Title (.608) with a trip to his first All-Star Game.  After a sub-par by his standard 2013, Stanton roared back, winning the Home Run (37) and Slugging Title (.555) and was second for the MVP.

Stanton missed many games due to injuries in both 2015 and 2016 but responded with the year of his life and what is to date the best season ever by a Marlin.  He led the NL in Home Runs (59), RBIs (132), Slugging Percentage (.631), and he ran away with the MVP.

As would be the case with the Marlins (which you will see often as you look down this list), the team looked to distance themselves from his growing contract, and to no surprise, the Yankees would be his landing spot.  As of this writing, Stanton is the all-time franchise leader in Home Runs (267), RBIs (672), and bWAR (35.7).

Kevin Brown was only with the Marlins for two seasons, but over Brown's excellent career, it was arguably the best back-to-back campaign that he had.

An All-Star with Texas in 1992, Brown signed with Baltimore for one year in 1995 before joining Florida the following season.  Brown rewarded the Marlins with a spectacular year, posting a 17-11 record while leading the NL in ERA (1.89), 215 (ERA+), and WHIP (0.944), and he was the runner-up for the Cy Young.  The Marlins ace had another great year in 1997 (16-8, 2.69 ERA & 205 SO) and was an All-Star for the second year in a row.  Largely off of the arm of Brown, the Marlins won the Pennant and shocked the baseball world by winning the World Series.  Brown did not have a good Series (0-2 8.18 ERA), but without his contributions, the team never would have made it to the playoffs.

After the Marlins won it all, they traded many of the critical components that won them the title, including Brown (to San Diego), who had one year left in his contract.  Brown had a 33-19 record with a 2.83 ERA with the Marlins.

Miguel Cabrera should always be thought of first as a Detroit Tiger, but it should never be forgotten that his MLB career began in Florida.`

From Venezuela, Cabrera signed with the Marlins in 1999 and would make his debut with the squad in 2003, finishing fifth in Rookie of the Year voting.  Cabrera was an All-Star the next four seasons, proving himself to be one of the most dynamic young hitters of the game.  From 2004 to 2007, Cabrera had at least 26 Home Runs and 112 RBIs, all of which while posting a Slugging Percentage well over .500.

As with the case of all dynamic young players that would likely see a pay increase in their future, Cabrera was traded, with Detroit being his landing spot.  With the Marlins, Cabrera belted 138 Home Runs, 523 RBIs with a filthy Slash Line of .313/.388/.542.

There is one reason (and it is really big) that you could make that Luis Castillo should be near the top of the all-time Miami Marlins list.  Castillo is one of three players who won both of the Marlins’ World Series rings.  Well, sort of.

Coming from the San Pedro de Macoris of the Dominican Republic, Castillo is one of the many on the long list of infielders to come from this baseball factory of a town.  Signed as an Amateur Free Agent in 1992, Castillo made it to the Marlins in 1996 and bounced back and forth between the Minors and Majors until 1998.  Castillo played for Florida in 1997 in the season but was optioned back to the Minors in late July and was not on their World Series-winning roster but did receive a ring for his service that year.

In 1999, Castillo was elevated to Florida’s starting Second Baseman, and he stayed in that role until 2005.  Castillo was a demon on the basepaths, leading the NL in Stolen Bases in 2000 and 2002, and would become a three-time All-Star (2002, 2003 & 2005).  His defense would also become a calling card, winning three Gold Gloves in a row from 2003 to 2005, and while he was not a power hitter by any stretch, he did hit for average, collecting five .300 years as a Marlin before he was traded to Minnesota in the 2005/06 offseason.

As of this writing, Castillo is still the all-time franchise leader in Games Played (1,128), Runs Scored (875), Hits (1,273), Triples (42), and Stolen Bases (281).