Florida / Miami Marlins All-Time Top 40 Players: Part 2

34. Josh Willingham (6.4)

Josh Willingham is a 6-foot-2, 230 lb. right-handed left fielder from Florence, AL. Born on February 17th, 1979, the Florida Marlins chose him in the 17th round of the 2000 MLB Amateur Entry Draft.

Four years later, Willingham made his debut on the big-stage of major league baseball, going five-for-25 in 12 games for Florida. In 2005, he again spent most of the year in the minors, coming up for another “cup of coffee” and going seven-for-23 in a short look.

Willingham didn’t spend years becoming a great baseball player to someday say he went 12-for-48 in the majors. In 2006, he played his first full MLB season for the 78-84 Marlins. In 142 games, he slashed .277/.356/.496 with a team-second-tying (Dan Uggla had 27, Miguel Cabrera had 26) 26 homers and 74 RBI. In the field, Willingham posted a .968 fPct and graded out just a hair below a “league average” outfielder, finishing at -3 DRS in 1069 2/3 innings.

The 2007 Marlins posted a 71-91 record, while Willingham appeared in 144 contests. He hit .254/.364/.470 while driving 21 out of the park and closing with a team-second 89 RBI. He finished the year with a .987 fielding percentage in 1176 1/3 innings in left, and was again below average at -7 DRS.

Willingham improved his defense by leaps-and-bounds in his last season with the Marlins, posting a 1.000 fPCT in 855 1/3 innings with five DRS. Limited by injury to only 102 games, his slashline remained essentially unchanged from his previous season, at .254/.364/.470 with 15 homers and 51 RBI for the 84-77 club.

After the 2008 season, the Marlins traded Wilingham with Scott Olsen to the Washington Nationals for P.J. Dean, Emilio Bonifacio, and Jake Smolinski. After two seasons with the Nats, Willingham played a season for the Oakland Athletics, two-and-a-half for the Minnesota Twins, and half-a-season for the Kansas City Royals.