Top 20 Miami Marlins No. 13: Juan Pierre

Juan Pierre was beloved in Miami and was an instrumental part of the Marlins’ organization. JP, as Marlins fans like to call him, played 4 full seasons with the Marlins throughout his 14 year career. During the 2003 off-season, the Marlins acquired Pierre, a move that would have JP as the starting center fielder for 3 full season. In 2006, Pierre was traded to the Chicago Cubs. Years later, in 2013, the Marlins signed Pierre as a free agent to a one year deal, which was his final season in the MLB.

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Pierre, an exciting player that was known for his blazing speed, had an incredible work ethic that allowed him to have a successful MLB career. Although he finished his career with only 18 home runs in fourteen big league seasons, Pierre impacted the game in more ways than one. He finished his career with a career batting average of .295 and had 2217 hits. Six times in his career he finished in the top 10 in hits in the National League, with two of those times being the league leader. He led the league in stolen bases three times, and finished with 614 stolen bases in his career.

As a defender, Pierre was known for not having the strongest arm in the outfield, but his ability to track balls down made him a good quality outfielder. In 2003, as a Marlin, Pierre led all National League centerfielders with 402 putouts. His speed allowed him to get to flyballs in the gaps that other centerfielders in the league couldn’t track down. In 2006, Pierre led all centerfielders in the National League with a 1.000 fielding percentage, as he did not commit an error all season long.

Pierre’s best moment in his career came in 2003, his first season with the Marlins, where he was part of the Marlins’ championship team, which was the only championship team that Pierre played for in his career. During the 2003 World Series against the New York Yankees, Pierre posted a .333 batting average and was the lead catalyst for the Marlins’ offense.

As a Marlin, Pierre will always be remembered for his hard work, dedication, the excitement that he brought to the team night in and night out, and for his attitude of wanting to be in the lineup every game. In his first three seasons with the Marlins, Pierre played in all 162 games each season. He was one of the best centerfielders that the Marlins have ever had and some would argue that he is the best leadoff hitter that the Marlins have ever had. He is still beloved by Marlins fans today and well deserved. Reasons like these are why Juan Pierre is number 13 on our top 20 players in Marlins franchise history.