Florida / Miami Marlins All-Time Top 30 Players

The Marlins have been around for 27 years now.

You should already know who the standouts are, but if you don’t that’s why we’re here. Using the Wins Above Replacement (WAR) metric, we have ranked the top 50 players in Florida / Miami Marlins history. Of the 590 players who have appeared in a major league game, these are the best 8.5 percent.

I found that the WAR metric, hardly an end-all, be-all statistic, is the closest thing available to rank pitchers against fielders, relievers against starters, and 1993 versus 2019. What better way than to say, “who was better?”

Here’s the cheat sheet for the story so far:

Just Missed

60. Sandy Alcantara (3.3)

59. Mark Buehrle (3.5)

58. Emilio Bonifacio (3.5)

57. Moises Alou (3.5)

56. Braden Looper (3.6)

55. Alfredo Amezaga (3.7)

54. Quilvio Veras (3.9)

53. Bryan Harvey (4.0)

52. Starlin Castro (4.0)

51. Chris Volstad (4.2)

Just Made it

50. Omar Infante (4.3)

49. Livan Hernandez (4.5)

48. Devon White (4.5)

47. Ivan Rodriguez (4.5)

46. Al Leiter (4.8)

45. Derek Dietrich (4.8)

44. Chris Hammond (4.9)

43. Steve Cishek (4.9)

42. Robb Nen (4.9)

41. Edgar Renteria (5.0)

Marlins Ranked 40th through 31st

This group featured three starters, three outfielders, a first baseman, a reliever, a third baseman, and a catcher.

40. Justin Bour (5.0)

39. Pat Rapp (5.3)

38. Mike Redmond (5.3)

37. Preston Wilson (6.2)

36. Henderson Alvarez (6.3)

35. A.J. Ramos (6.4)

34. Josh Willingham (6.4)

33. Martin Prado (6.5)

32. Mark Kotsay (6.8)

31. Brad Penny (7.5)

For the further adventures of the Marlins all-time Top 50, read on.

30. Juan Pierre (7.6)

Juan Pierre was a 5-foot-10, 180 lb. left-handed outfielder when drafted in the 13th round of the 1998 MLB Amateur Draft by the Colorado Rockies. Born on August 14th, 1977, Pierre worked his way up the minor league chain and made his MLB debut with the Rockies in 2000. He played three seasons in Colorado, leading the National League with 46 stolen bases in 2001.

Following the 2002 season, the Rockies traded Pierre with Mike Hampton to the Marlins for Vic Darensbourg, Charles Johnson, Pablo Ozuna, and Preston Wilson. Wilson was number 37 on our list, and Charles Johnson hasn’t appeared (yet).

In 2003, Pierre was the de facto leadoff batter for the Marlins, and he appeared in all 162 games for the first time in his career. He led the majors with 65 stolen bases and with 747 plate appearances. He slashed a healthy .305/.361/.373 line, topping the 200-hit plateau for the second time with 204 (he collected 202 hits with the 2001 Rockies). Defensively, he was eight runs better than “average” and posted a .993 fielding percentage. In the postseason, Pierre went 22-for-73, helping to drive the Marlins to their second World Series Championship.

2004 would see Pierre survive the all-too-frequent exodus following a promising Marlins season, and appear in 162 games for the second season in a row. He hit .326/.374/.407, with 45 stolen bases and 45 walks (to only 35 strikeouts) and league-leading figures with 221 hits and 12 triples. Pierre finished the year with a .995 fPCT, and ranked at league average with zero DRS. The Marlins closed shop at 83-79.

So, Pierre was pretty fast – check out the bunt double in the video below.

In 2005, Pierre again played in every game. He stole 57 more bases, and drew 41 walks while striking out 45 times. He slashed .276/.326/.354, taking a step back from his elite pre-2005 output. He still tripled 13 times to rank second in the Senior Circuit. The Marlins again finished above .500, at 83-79.

After the 2005 season, the Marlins traded Pierre to the Chicago Cubs for Sergio Mitre, Ricky Nolasco, and Renyel Pinto. Pierre played a season for the Cubs followed by three years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, two with the Chicago White Sox, and one with the Philadelphia Phillies. In 2013, Pierre returned to the by-then Miami Marlins for his final major league season. In 113 games he slashed .247/.284/.305. Despite being 35-years-old, he led the team with 23 stolen bases.

29. Brian Anderson (7.6)

Brian Anderson, or “BA,” is a 6-foot-3, 185 lb. third baseman from Edmond, OK. Born on May 19th, 1993, Anderson was a third round choice of the Marlins in the 2014 MLB Amateur Entry Draft.

Anderson played his way through the minors to make his major league debut with Miami on September 1st, 2017, where he went one-for-three against Philadelphia. In a 25 game look to close out the season, he went 22-for-84 with eight RBI, but no home runs. Nonplussed by the lack of power, the Marlins plugged Anderson in at the hot corner for the 2018 campaign.

But not for long. Anderson ended up nearly splitting his time between third base and right field through the season, posting better defensive numbers at the nine spot (4 DRS) than he did at third base (-2 DRS). Still, those metrics are passable at either position, and Anderson brought a lot of much-needed pop to the Marlins lineup.

In a team-high 156 games, Anderson hit .273/.357/.400, with 11 homers and a team-second 65 RBI. His 3.9 WAR also finished second on the team, behind only catcher J.T. Realmuto‘s 4.3. Anderson finished fourth in the N.L. Rookie of the Year Award voting.

Anderson’s 2019 campaign was cut short due to injury, but he still managed to club a team-second 20 round-trippers with 66 RBI, with a .261/.342/.468 slashline and a team-best 3.8 WAR. He made nine assists from right field, topping his mark of eight in 2018. Both figures ranked third in the NL, despite Anderson only playing, in essence, a half-season in right for both seasons.

Anderson enters the 2020 season with one of few guaranteed spots in the Marlins lineup, but we can’t yet say if he’ll play more in right or at third base.

28. Kevin Millar (7.7)

Before he was a big MLB Network star, Kevin Millar played 12 years in the major leagues. A 6-foot-1, 195 lb. first-baseman, third-baseman, right-fielder and left-fielder, the Los Angeles, CA native made his major league debut with the Marlins on April 11th, 1998.

Millar went one-for-two from the plate that day, with a walk in a 7-6, 10-inning loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Those were his only big league plate appearances from the 1998 season.

Millar’s bonifide rookie-season for the Marlins was in 1999, when he appeared in 105 games and slashed .285/.362/.433 with nine homers and a team-third 67 RBI for the 64-98 club. He played 770 innings at first base, closing with a .995 fPCT.

In 2000, Millar appeared in 123 games for Florida, making 31 starts at first base, 13 in left field, 12 at third base, and six at designated hitter. Offensively, he hit .259/.364/.498 with 14 homers and 42 RBI as the Marlins went 79-82.

2001 would see Millar take a step up offensively, with a .314/.374/.557 line, all career-best figures. In 144 contests, he hit 20 home runs with a team-third 85 RBI. He was named the NL player of the week after going 11-for-22 with four doubles, a homer, and four RBI with only one strikeout from July 7th through 14th. The team finished at 76-86, Millar with a career-best-tying 2.8 WAR. Defensively, Millar again showed his versatility by making 65 starts in right field, 20 in left, 15 at first and 10 at third base.

In 2002, Millar slashed .306/.366/.509 in 126 contests. He hit 16 home runs with 57 RBI, while playing mostly in left field for the 79-83 Marlins.

Prior to 2003 Spring Training, the Boston Red Sox purchased Millar’s contract from Florida. Millar played three seasons in Boston, followed by three with the Baltimore Orioles and a final year with the Toronto Blue Jays. In 2017, at the age of 45, Millar hit a home run in his only at bat with the American Association’s St. Paul Saints.

27. Miguel Rojas (7.9)

Miguel Rojas recently signed a two-year, $10.25 million deal to stay on with the Miami Marlins. If you’re a long-time reader, you’ll know that I’ve often said that Rojas is the “heart and soul” of the Marlins. The Marlins were wise to recognize that and lock Rojas up for these next two seasons.

Signed as a free agent by the Cincinnati Reds in 2005, Rojas joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012. The Dodgers traded him, along with Dan Haren, Dee Gordon, and a PTBNL to the Marlins for Andrew Heaney, Enrique Hernandez, Chris Hatcher, and Austin Barnes.

In 2015, Rojas hit .282/.329/.366 over 60 games, but he was never considered an offensive juggernaut. He played 32 games at shortstop and nine each at second and third base, grading out as average at each of the three spots.

2016 would see the Marlins employ Rojas 45 times at second, 41 at first, 33 at short, and another 16 at third base. In 123 games, he hit .247/.288/.325 with just 14 RBI. Rojas’ defensive versatility was on full display once more, as he rated 2 DRS at third, -2 DRS at short, 1 DRS at second, and dead-even at first. To find a player that is a major-league average fielder at four positions is rare.

In 2017, Rojas topped the 2 WAR metric for the first time, finishing the season at 2.2. In 90 games, Rojas hit .290/.361/.375 with 26 RBI. Again, his true value was on the defensive side of the diamond, but mainly as a shortstop, in 77 of his appearances.

In 2018, Rojas posted a .994 fPCT at shortstop over 657 1/3 innings, and was 4 DRS above average. After having hit only one homer in each of his first four major league seasons, Rojas clubbed 11 in 2018, while slashing .252/.297/.346. He also collected a career-high 53 RBI and closed the season with a team-fourth 2.4 WAR,

In 132 games in 2019, Rojas hit .283/.331/.379 with five home runs and 46 RBI, along with a team-third 2.4 WAR. All signs point to two good seasons for Rojas with the Marlins, as he brings along heir-apparent Jazz Chisholm. In the meantime, Rojas can be counted on to appear all over the infield.

26. Alex Fernandez (8.1)

Alex Fernandez is a 6-foot-2, 200 lb. right-handed pitcher from Miami Beach, FL. Born on August 13th, 1969, he was chosen in the first round of the 1988 MLB Amateur Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, but did not sign. In 1989, Fernandez went 15-2 with a 2.01 ERA for the University of Miami Hurricanes, over 19 starts. He struck out 177 in just 147 2/3 innings. He was again a first round pick two years later for the Chicago White Sox, fourth overall.

Fernandez made very quick work of the White Sox minor league system, starting twice with their rookie-level Gulf Coast White Sox, twice with their High-A Sarasota White Sox, and four times for their Double-A Birmingham Barons. By August, 1990, just two months after the draft, he was in the majors to stay.

Fernandez pitched seven seasons for Chicago, going 79-63 with a 3.78 ERA over 199 appearances, including 197 starts. He posted a 1.29 WHIP and 951 K’s in 1344 innings overall. After the 1996 campaign, Fernandez signed with the Marlins through free agency.

Through the 1997 season, Fernandez started in 32 games, going 17-12 with a 3.59 ERA. He struck out 183 in 220 2/3 innings, with a 1.187 WHIP and only 2.8 walks per nine innings. The Marlins earned the National League wildcard with a 92-70 record, and of course, marched through the three rounds of the playoffs for their first World Series Championship. He went 1-1 with a 6.52 ERA. After a poor start in the NLCS, the Marlins had Fernandez take an MRI. According to Jason Reid at the Los Angeles Times:

An MRI exam revealed that the right-hander had suffered a career-threatening tear in the rotator cuff of his pitching shoulder. Fernandez will undergo surgery soon, sitting out the rest of postseason play and possibly the next two seasons as he faces extensive rehabilitation.

Fernandez took the 1998 season off to rehabilitate, and in 1999 returned to win the NL Comeback Player of the Year Award. He was 7-8 with a 3.38 ERA over 24 starts, 91 whiffs in 141 frames, and a 1.248 WHIP.

In 2000, Fernandez started eight more games for the Marlins, going 4-4 with a 4.13 ERA. Another shoulder injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Fernandez retired officially on September 27th, 2001.

25. Carl Pavano (8.1)

Carl Pavano was a 6-foot-5, 265 lb. right-handed starter from New Britain, CT. Born on January 8th, 1976, he was initially drafted in the 13th round of the 1994 MLB Amateur Entry Draft by the Boston Red Sox.

Before making his way to the majors, Pavano along with Tony Armas Jr., was traded to the Montreal Expos for Pedro Martinez. Pavano made his major league debut with Montreal on May 23rd, 1998, pitching seven innings and allowing the Philadelphia Phillies only one run on three hits.

Eventually, Pavano played four-and-a-half seasons with the Expos, going 24-35 with a 4.83 ERA over 78 starts. He closed the Canadian leg of his career with a 1.440 WHIP and 304 whiffs in 452 2/3 innings. Nearing the 2002 trade deadline, Pavano, along with Graeme Lloyd, Mike Mordecai, Justin Wayne, and Don Levinski were traded to Florida for Cliff Floyd, Wilton Guerrero, and Claudio Vargas.

Down the stretch for the 2002 Marlins, Pavano went 3-2 in 22 appearances, including eight starts. He logged a 3.79 ERA. He made 32 turns in the rotation in 2003, when he was 12-13 with a 4.30 ERA. He pitched in another eight games in the postseason, going 2-0 with a 1.40 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings.

2004 would be Pavano’s best season in the majors, and his lone all-star invitation. He went 18-8 and posted a career-low 3.00 ERA while striking out 139 in 222 1/3 innings. His 1.174 WHIP was also the best mark of his career. Granted free agency after the season, Pavano signed a contract with the New York Yankees.

Pavano played three seasons for the Bombers, later playing most of 2009 with the Cleveland Indians and three-and-a-half seasons with the Minnesota Twins.

24. Dee Gordon (9.2)

Dee Gordon is a 5-foot-11, 170 lb. second baseman from Windermere, FL. Born on April 22nd, 1988, he was initially chosen in the fourth round of the 2008 MLB Amateur Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Gordon is baseball royalty, son of Tom Gordon, more commonly known as “Flash” Gordon. A right-handed pitcher, Flash was 138-126 with 158 saves over 21 major league seasons. He had 1928 strikeouts in 2108 innings pitched.

Dee, who sometimes goes by “Flash Jr., or Varis Strange, worked his way up through the minors to make his major league debut with the Dodgers in 2011. He played four seasons on the left coast, making the all-star team for the first time in 2014 when he led the majors with 64 stolen bases.

After that year, the Dodgers traded Gordon along with Dan Haren and Miguel Rojas to the Marlins for Austin Barnes, Chris Hatcher, Andrew Heaney, and Enrique Hernandez.

In his first season with Miami, Gordon made his second all-star team, again leading the majors in steals, with 58 while also topping everyone with 205 hits. His .333 average led the National League.

Dee slashed .333/.359/.418 with four homers and 46 RBI in his 145 games, while fielding at a .992 clip at second base in 2015. He was 13 DRS above average, the best mark of his career, while making only six errors in 1270 innings.

2016 would see Gordon serve an 80-game suspension for violation of the MLB drug program, due to a workout supplement. Despite the setback, Gordon still swiped 30 bags in just 79 games, while slashing .268/.305/.335 and providing more-or-less league average defense at second base. He also gave us a moment we’ll never forget in the Marlins first game after the untimely death of staff ace Jose Fernandez. This video is worth 10 minutes of your time, if you haven’t already seen it.

In 2017, Gordon appeared in 158 games and hit .308/.341/.375 with a pair of homers and 33 RBI. His 60 stolen bases led the NL, and he ranked three DRS above average at second base.

The Marlins traded Gordon to the Seattle Mariners following the 2017 season for Nick Neidert, Christopher Torres, and Robert Dugger. He’s played in 258 games for the Mariners, hitting .271/.295/.353 with 52 stolen bases.

23. Cody Ross (9.4)

Cody Ross is a 5’11”, 195 lb. outfielder from Portales, NM. Born on December 23rd, 1980, Ross was a fourth-round choice in 1999 by the Detroit Tigers.

Ross made his major league debut with the Tigers in 2003. From then until mid-2006, he appeared in 30 games between Detroit, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Cincinnati Reds, going 16-for-63. On May 26th, 2006, the Marlins purchased Ross’ contract from the Reds.

In 91 games for the Marlins that season, Ross hit .212/.284/.396, with 11 round-trippers and 37 RBI. In 2007, he improved his slashline to a more robust .335/.411/.653 with a dozen homers and 39 RBI in only 66 games. Despite his short season, he ranked third on the club with 2.8 WAR.

2008 would be Ross’s first full proper major league season. He played in 145 games for Florida, slashing .260/.316/.488 with 22 home runs and 73 RBI. Ross was also 11 DRS in the outfield, mostly center, as he posted a .997 fPCT.

Ross set career-highs in 2009 with 24 home runs and 90 RBI, along with a .270/.321/.469 slashline in 151 contests. In the outfield, he was worth another five DRS, along with a .991 fPCT.

In 2010, Ross played in 120 contests for the Marlins prior to the trade deadline, slashing .265/.316/.405 with 11 homers and 58 RBI. Despite his history with the team, the Marlins put him on waivers on August 22nd, where the San Francisco Giants gladly picked him up.

Ross remained with the Giants through the 2011 season, then joined the Boston Red Sox in 2012 and the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013 for two seasons. After going two-for-22 in nine games with the Oakland Athletics in 2015, Ross did not again appear in a major league game.

21. Ricky Nolasco (10.7)

Ricky Nolasco was a 6-foot-2, 235 lb. right-handed pitcher from Corona, CA. Born on December 13th, 1982, he was picked in the fourth round of the 2001 MLB Amateur Entry Draft by the Chicago Cubs.

After the 2005 season, while still in the minors, Nolasco was traded by Chicago with Sergio Mitre and Renyel Pinto to the Marlins for Juan Pierre. The following seasons would see him pitch in 35 games for the Marlins, starting 22 of them. He went 11-11 with a 4.82 ERA, a 1.414 WHIP, and 99 whiffs in 140 innings.

After injury kept Nolasco’s 2007 season to only five appearances, he joined the Marlins rotation in earnest in 2008. He would go 15-8 with a 3.52 ERA over 32 starts, with 186 strikeouts in 212 1/3 innings. He posted an enduring career-best 1.102 WHIP.

Now the de facto Ace of the Marlins rotation, Nolasco was Florida’s Opening Day starter in 2009. He went 13-9 through the season with a 5.06 ERA, a 1.254 WHIP, and 195 K’s in 185 innings. His 9.5 K/9 rate was the best mark of his career.

In 2010, went 14-9 with a 4.51 ERA in 26 starts for the Marlins, with 147 whiffs in 157 2/3 innings and a 1.281 WHIP.  He led the staff in victories, although he was arguably only the third best starter on the team behind Anibal Sanchez and Josh Johnson.

Nolasco started 33 games for the 2011 Marlins, “leading” the N.L. with 244 hits allowed in 206 innings. The resultant 1.398 WHIP was a little concerning, but Nolasco’s 3.53 FIP was significantly better than his 4.67 ERA, pointing to the defense behind him as a culprit. He went 10-12 for the season, with another 148 K’s.

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• Why don’t we see more dynasties? Part 3

In 2012, Nolasco settled in as the brand new “Miami” Marlins as their number three rotation starter. He went 12-13 over 31 starts, with 125 K’s in 191 innings.

After going 5-8 with a 3.85 ERA in his first 18 starts of 2013, Nolasco was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Steve Ames, Angel Sanchez, and Josh Wall.

Nolasco went 8-3 for the Dodgers, and later pitched for the Minnesota Twins and the Los Angeles Angels. After sitting out the 2018 season, he spent 2019 in the Arizona Diamondbacks minor league system. He remains the Marlins all-time franchise-leader with 1225 2/3 innings pitched and 1001 strikeouts.