1997 vs. 2003: The #3 Starter

We had the starting lineup for the Marlins 1997 v. 2003 World Series teams completed a couple of weeks back. This is how the team shaped up to be.

• Catcher: Ivan Rodriguez
• First Base: Derrick Lee
• Second Base: Luis Castillo
• Short Stop: Edgar Renteria
• Third Base: Mike Lowell
• Left Field: Miguel Cabrera
• Center Field: Juan Pierre
• Right Field: Gary Sheffield
• Designated Hitter: Jeff Conine

Then two weeks ago, we completed the poll for the first two starters on this team. Here are they as they stand now:

1. Josh Beckett
2. Kevin Brown

This week we are going to look at the number three guy. Normally we have would have a vote on this, but I think this pitcher deserves to be on the team without any questions. The pitcher is Livan Hernandez.

Here is a quick look at Hernandez’s numbers in the 1997 regular season:

When you look at Livan’s regular season numbers, nothing jumps out and says this guys belongs to be on the Marlins all-World Series team. When you take a look at his playoff numbers, you get an idea of why he is so deserving of this role:

A look at the numbers tell you that Livan was very lucky in the playoffs, but it is more important to note that he did get the job done. Even though it is a small sample size that proves some luck was involved, especially with the high FIP and the extremely low BABIP, Hernandez did a good enough job to pitch well enough to win games for the Marlins.

Hernandez was awarded the MVP trophy for the World Series after winning games 1 and 5 of the World Series.

That is all for today folks. Tune in next week and we will take a look at the closer to wrap this series up!