Miami Marlins History: All-Time Top 20 OPS (an in-depth look, 20-11)

In Miami Marlins history, 560 players have gotten into a game for at least one plate appearance, either pitching or hitting. 111 of them have had at least 300 plate appearances, which we’re setting as our cutoff for today’s rankings.

On this player list, there are Miami Marlins who started with the team in 1993, one guy who is still with the team, and at least one player from every season in between. I counted pitchers in the calculations, but there were only a few with over 300 plate appearances. Namely, A.J. Burnett, Josh Johnson, Dontrelle Willis, & Ricky Nolasco. The most accomplished of the bunch was easily Dontrelle Willis, but he ranks 93rd on our list, with a mark of .639. Just behind Matt Treanor and just ahead of Rick Renteria. Remarkably, the cutoff OPS for this article just so happened to fall at .800, generally considered the mark for an excellent player. I used baseball-reference.com to research all the statistics cited in this article.

We will be publishing articles such as this weekly from this time forward, with a different metric measured and ranked each time. Let us know what you think in the comments. Is there something you want to see?

Just Missed

Mike Jacobs (.796)

Mike Jacobs only played for the Florida Marlins for three seasons, and hit .258 I We n 391 games. With 69 home runs, he ranks 16th on the Marlins all-time list, and his 224 RBI rank him 20th. It’s perhaps a reflection of how “Replacement Level” is measured from year to year, but Jacobs did not finish any Marlins’ season with a positive WAR. In fact, his most prolific season, 2008, he hit 32 home runs with 93 RBI, but also finished the season with a career-low -2.0 WAR.

Cody Ross (.788)

Cody Ross, also known as “Ross the Boss,” and also, “Toy Cannon,” joined the Florida Marlins in 2006 and stayed with the team until mid-2010. In 573 contests, he racked up 80 homers and 297 RBI, both marks good for 13th all-time with the team.

Marcell Ozuna (.786)

Marcell Ozuna’s 96 home runs with the team ranks 11th in Miami Marlins history, as do his 361 RBI. Ozuna was with the club for five seasons, from 2013 through last year. As we all know, the Miami Marlins traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals for Daniel Castano, Zac Gallen, Sandy Alcantara, and Magneuris Sierra. Sierra is the only non-pitcher that Miami got in the deal, and so the only one of these four who may one day end up on this list (or one like it).

Justin Ruggiano (.781)

The Miami Marlins are only one of eight teams for whom Justin Ruggiano played for at the major league level. In 219 games, he hit 31 homers and 86 RBI with a .258 average. He started his career with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and after the Marlins also appeared with the Chicago Cubs, the Seattle Mariners, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Texas Rangers, the New York Mets, and the San Francisco Giants.

Jorge Cantu (.780)

Jorge Cantu spent most of three seasons with the Florida Marlins, beginning in 2008. He hit .278 while with the team, smacking 55 homers and 249 RBI over 401 contests.

20) Christian Yelich (.800)

Christian Yelich was a 6’3″, 195 lb. righty-throwing, lefty-hitting outfielder when the Florida Marlins drafted him in the first round back in 2010. He quickly made his way up through the system, generally hitting well over .300 at each stop.

In 2013, then-21-year-old Yelich made his major league debut in mid-July. Over the next four-and-a-half years, the Miami Marlins faithful were rewarded with his quick bat, his gamer-attitude, and his occasional power.

From four homers in 2013 to nine in 2014 to seven in 2015, we thought we knew what to expect power-wise out of Yelich. He surprised us again in 2016, with 21 home runs. He did it while maintaining a near-.300 average, then hit another 18 in 2017. Yelich never batted lower than .282 while with the team.

Over 714 career contests, Yelich totaled 59 home runs and 293 RBI, and slashed .290/.369/.432. This offseason, the Miami Marlins flipped him to the Milwaukee Brewers for Isan Diaz, Monte Harrison, Lewis Brinson, and Jordan Yamamoto. Only time will tell if we got a good deal, but early returns are mixed. Diaz, Harrison, and Brinson have shown occasional flashes of brilliance, and Yamamoto smoked Florida State League pitching in his half-season there. Meanwhile, Yelich has continued to produce as advertised, slashing .289/.364/.470 with 11 homers through the first half for the Brewers.

19) Mike Lowell (.801)

Mike Lowell was drafted in the 20th round of the 1995 draft by the New York Yankees. Prior to the 1999 campaign, the Bombers traded him to the Florida Marlins for Todd Noel, Mark Johnson, and Ed Yarnall.

Lowell had only appeared in eight games for the Yankees, going four-for-15 in his short look in 1998. With the Marlins, he joined the team in late-May, and was a mainstay at third base for the next seven seasons.

As a Florida Marlin player, Lowell was a three-time all star, the 2002 NL Silver Slugger Award winner at third base, and the 2004 NL Gold Glove winner.

Lowell appeared in 981 games with the Marlins, which ranks fourth all-time. He totaled a team-fourth 143 home runs, a team second-all-time 578 RBI, and slashed .272/.339/.462.

The Marlins traded Lowell away after the 2005 season with Josh Beckett and Guillermo Mota to the Boston Red Sox for Jesus Delgado, Anibal Sanchez, Harvey Garcia, and Hanley Ramirez. Lowell would man the hot corner in Boston for five seasons, earning his fourth all-star nod in 2007.

18) Preston Wilson (.806)

Preston Wilson was the first round selection of the New York Mets in 1992. In 1998, he was six-for-20 in eight appearances for them. Just into that season, on May 22nd, the Mets packaged him with Geoff Goetz and Ed Yarnall and sent him to the Florida Marlins for Mike Piazza.

Yes, Piazza was a Florida Marlin.

In his first full season with the Marlins, in 1999, Wilson played well enough to finish second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. He hit .280/.350/.502 with 26 home runs and 71 RBI, and also stole 11 bases.

In 2000, Wilson joined the 30/30 club for the Marlins, hitting 31 home runs and stealing 36 bases.

Wilson spent the better part of five seasons with the Marlins. He totaled 104 home runs, ranking 10th on the all-time Florida / Miami Marlins leaderboard. His 329 RBI ranks him 12th, and he’s ninth in club history with 87 stolen bases. He slashed .262/.333/.473 in 588 games for the Marlins.

Wilson was unlucky as part of the Marlins franchise in that he joined just after they won their first World Series Championship and left just before they started the 2003 season. He would go on to join the Colorado Rockies when the Marlins traded him with Vic Darensbourg, Charles Johnson, and Pablo Ozuna for Mike Hampton, Juan Pierre, and an undisclosed cash settlement.

Wilson earned his only all-star selection in his first season with Colorado.

17) Jeff Conine (.813)

Jeff Conine ranks second in Miami Marlins club history with 1,014 games played. He’s also one of only three players to amass over 1,000 hits with the Marlins. Along with Luis Castillo (1,273) and Hanley Ramirez (1,103).

Conine had 1,005 as a Florida Marlin. He was initially drafted in the 58th round of the 1987 draft by the Kansas City Royals. He worked his way up through the Kansas City system for the next several season, totaling 37 games for the parent club in 1990 and 1992. After the 1992 season, the Royals left him unprotected in the expansion draft, and the Marlins picked him, 22nd overall.

Conine appeared in all 162 games in that inaugural season for the Florida Marlins. He finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year vote, hitting .292/.351/.403 with 12 home runs and 79 RBI.

Conine made the all-star team for the Florida Marlins in 1994 and in 1995, and remained with the club through their first World Series Championship, in 1997. Over that time, he appeared in 718 games and slashed .291/.360/.467 with 98 homers and 422 RBI.

The Marlins traded Conine back to the Royals following the World Series for Blaine Mull. Yeah. After a season with Kansas City, the Royals traded him to the Baltimore Orioles for Chris Fussell. At the 2003 trade deadline, the Orioles traded him back to the Marlins for Don Levinski and Denny Bautista.

Conine spent another 296 games with the Marlins, and continued his steady production, slashing .290/.353/.421 while playing left field and first base. He helped the Marlins to their second (and latest) World Series Championship. He later joined the Orioles again, then after turning 40, played for the Philadelphia Philliles, the Cincinnati Reds, and the New York Mets.

Conine is one of the Miami Marlins enduring personalities, and maybe the most popular ever former Marlin. For this, he has earned the nickname, “Mr. Marlin.”

16) Bruce Aven (.814)

Bruce Aven may not be a guy you think of when going over Florida / Miami Marlins history, but in 1999, he had a pretty good season for a pretty bad team.

Aven was drafted in 1994 by the Cleveland Indians, in the 30th round. He worked his way up through their system, eventually going four-for-19 as a pinch-hitter in 1997. Aven did not factor in the Florida Marlins’ World Series Title in any way, as he was not with the Indians through the playoffs.

After a 1998 season spent in the minor leagues, the Indians waived Aven, and the Marlins gladly claimed him.

Aven ranked second on the 1999 Marlins with a .289 average. He hit 19 doubles, two triples and 12 home runs for 70 RBI. He also drew 44 walks in 440 plate appearances. Aven slashed .289/.370/.444 in his short time with the Marlins.

After his “pretty good” season, the Marlins traded Aven to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Brant Brown. Aven would also go on to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers before ending his career back with the Indians in 2002. His career WAR of 1.8 was entirely due to his season with the Florida Marlins. His collected WAR outside of 1999 you ask? 0.0. That’s right, the Marlins squeezed a near-2.0 WAR out of an otherwise replacement level-player.

14) Justin Bour (.825)

Justin Bour already ranks 14th on the all-time Miami Marlins leaderboard, with 78 home runs. His 258 RBI rank 17th, and he’s 16th with 186 walks.

Bour was a 25th round choice of the Chicago Cubs in 2009, but didn’t progress through their system fast enough to make a major league debut with them before the Marlins got him. After the 2013 season, the Miami Marlins selected Bour in the rule 5 draft, which meant that the Marlins could not send Bour down to the minors or risk losing him back to the Cubs. He shouldn’t have worried.

Bour slashed .284/.361/.365 in limited action as a rookie in 2014, with only one home run. In 2015, he hit 23 with 73 RBI in 129 games. He slashed .262/.321/.479, and finished fifth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.

In 2016, Bour was held to 90 games by injury. He still slashed .264/.349/.475 with 15 round-trippers and 51 RBI. He continued to push his slashline forward in 2017, with a career-high 25 homers and 83 RBI in 108 games. He slashed .289/.366/.536 for the Marlins.

This season, Bour is slashing just .238/.364/.421, but has drawn a career-best 58 walks. He’s also leading the team with 14 homers and a team-second 40 RBI in a team-third 87 contests.

Bour is arbirtration eligible following this season. He can test out free agency in 2021.

13) Josh Willingham (.833)

Josh Willingham came to be a Florida Marlins player in the 2000 draft, in the 17th round. A 6’2″, 230 lb. right-handed outfielder, Willingham made his major league debut in 2004 with the Marlins.

After going five-for-25 in a cup of coffee, he again made just a brief appearance with the parent club in 2005, going seven-for-23.

2006 would mark Willingham’s “official” rookie campaign. He slashed .277/.346/.496 in 142 games, with 26 home runs and 74 RBI. For his efforts, he finished ninth in a crowded NL Rookie of the Year field. He continued to produce the following season, to the tune of a .265/.364/.463 slashline. He clubbed 21 tigers for 89 RBI that season in 144 games.

Willingham was limited to 102 games in 2008, in which he slashed .254/.364/.470 with 15 round-trippers and 51 RBI. After the season, the Marlins packaged him with Scott Olsen to the Washington Nationals. In return, the Marlins received P.J. Dean, Emilio Bonifacio, and Jake Smolinski.

Willingham played two seasons with the Nats. He later played for the Oakland Athletics, the Minnesota Twins, and the Kansas City Royals.

12) Dan Uggla (.837)

Dan Uggla was a 5’11”, 210 lb. second baseman from Louisville, KY. The Arizona Diamondbacks chose him in the 11th round of the 2001 draft. After working most of the way up the Diamondbacks system, the Marlins selected Uggla in the 2005 rule 5 draft.

Remaining with the parent club for the entirety of the 2006 season would prove to be a problem for Uggla. He made the all-star team and finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year vote with a .282/.339/.480 slashline. He also smacked 27 home runs and 90 RBI in 154 games.

Uggla appeared in 159 games for the 2007 Florida Marlins, and slashed .245/.326/.479 with 31 round-trippers and 88 RBI. He then continued to produce in 2008, making his second all-star appearance and slashing .260/.360/.514 in 146 games for the Marlins.

In 2009, Uggla appeared in 158 games and slashed .243/.354/.459 with 31 homers and 90 RBI. He set new career marks for the Florida Marlins in 2010, hitting 33 homers and 105 RBI while slashing .287/.369/.508.

In total, Uggla’s 154 home runs in just five Florida Marlins seasons rank him second on the all-time list. He’s sixth with 465 RBI.

After the 2010 season, the Marlins traded Uggla to the Atlanta Braves for Mike Dunn and Omar Infante. Uggla played four seasons in Atlanta, followed by some time with the San Francisco Giants and the Washington Nationals.

11) Bobby Bonilla (.841)

Bobby Bonilla was a Bronx native who was initially signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1981. Eventually, he spent six seasons with the Bucs, and then three and a half with the New York Mets.

At the 1995 trading deadline, the Mets traded Bonilla with PTBNL Jimmy Williams to the Baltimore Orioles for Damon Buford and Alex Ochoa. He played in 220 games over parts of two seasons with them.

After the 1996 season, the then-34-year-old Bonilla tested out free agency for the second time, and the Florida Marlins gladly signed him.

Bonilla manned the hot corner for the Marlins that season in their drive to their first World Series Championship. Defense was not a strong suit for Bonilla, who committed 29 errors for the Marlins at third base for a .938 fielding percentage. Offensively, he slashed .297/.378/.468 wtih 17 home runs and 96 RBI. In the postseason for the Marlins, he hit .250 with two homers and 10 RBI.

Bonilla continued with the Florida Marlins in the same vein to start the following season, slashing .278/.355/.454 in 28 games. He also continued to make routine plays adventurous for Marlins’ faithful, booting six balls in his abbreviated time with the club for a .922 fielding percentage. On May 14th, the Marlins traded Bonilla with Manuel Barrios, Jim Eisenreich, Charles Johnson, and Gary Sheffield to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile.

Despite being a natural designated hitter, Bonilla never returned to the American League. He spent a season each with the Dodgers, the Mets, the Atlanta Braves, and the St. Louis Cardinals to close out his career in 2001. Bonilla’s time with the Mets included an infamous contract deal, immortalized by Bobby Bonilla Day.

Next: The Miami Marlins need a healthy Martin Prado

Thanks for reading today’s slideshow. Tune in tomorrow for part two of the Florida / Miami Marlins all-time OPS leaderboard. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our daily newsletter.