Miami Marlins: Faceless, Aceless, Five Most Lackluster Rotations

6 of 6

The only thing tougher than finding a picture of Charlie Hough was Marlins Inaugural Day catcher Benito Santiago. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

The 1994 Miami Marlins- Over The Thrill

First off, it feels weird not calling this group the Florida Marlins.

Now you might be wondering why we didn’t go Inaugural Rotation here. The 1994 rotation was better than them, significantly so; the same was true of the entire team. I did think about it.

More from Marlin Maniac

Then I remembered how exciting it was that Miami was getting a baseball team though. Sheer buzz gets that rotation off the hook. Heck, sheer buzz got Opening Day starter Charlie Hough that called strike on a first franchise pitch that couldn’t have been more inside if it hit Jose Offerman.

Fast forward a year though, and the newness had worn off a bit. The top three projected Marlins starters were all 1993 alum and had all produced losing records and ERAs well north of 4.00 in the previous campaign.

And while the first Fish season was never expected to be a winning one, there’s a certain finality to winning less than seventy games, especially for a community used to athletic success. An improvement was hoped for, but it would be much slower going than fans might have dreamed of an April ago. It was also clear that any significant uptick in the standings was going to come as a result of the offense, not the caretaker rotation.

Next: Marlins Late Inning Strategy Should Fascinate Early

Hopes were reigned in for 1994, and that’s not even accounting for the fact that there were rumors of some kind of strike taking place. The combination of no clear talent and no clear expectations gives this group the top prize.

Home/Marlins All-Time Lists