Florida / Miami Marlins All-Time Top 10 Players

Over the past 27 seasons, the Florida then Miami Marlins have employed five-hundred and ninety players in a regular season game.

This final part of the five part series will focus on the 10 best from Marlins history, or, approximately the top two percent of players to appear with the franchise.

Three-hundred-thirty-one have thrown a pitch for the team, and four-hundred-ninety-one have had at least one plate appearance. Ninety-nine have pitched without a plate appearance – A.J. Ramos is the franchise record-holder with 309 plate appearance-free games. A lot more have had a plate appearance but have not pitched.

The Marlins have played in 4,304 games in total, winning 1,990 of them. In addition, they’ve gone 22-11 in another 33 games when you include the postseason, for a total record of 2,012-2,325 for a winning percentage of .464. For a little context, the Marlins would have to post 16 consecutive seasons at 91-71 or better in order to bring the franchise to .500.

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)

Day One

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)

Day Two

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)

Day Three

30. Juan Pierre (7.6)

29. Brian Anderson (7.6)

28. Kevin Millar (7.7)

27. Miguel Rojas (7.9)

26. Alex Fernandez (8.1)

25. Carl Pavano (8.1)

24. Dee Gordon (9.2)

23. Cody Ross (9.4)

22. Derrek Lee (9.9)

21. Ricky Nolasco (10.7)

Day Four

20. Josh Beckett (10.9)

19. Charles Johnson (11.7)

18. A.J. Burnett (12.2)

17. Anibal Sanchez (13.0)

16. Gary Sheffield (13.2)

15. J.T. Realmuto (13.2)

14. Jeff Conine (13.7)

13. Jose Fernandez (13.9)

12. Mike Lowell (14.2)

11. Marcell Ozuna (14.4)

And we’ve still got the last 10 to go. Let’s jump right in.

10. Kevin Brown (14.6)

Kevin Brown was a 6-foot-4, 195. lb. right-handed starter from Milledgeville, GA. Born on March 14th, 1965, he was the first round choice of the Texas Rangers back in the 1986 MLB Amateur Entry Draft, fourth overall off the board. He made his major league debut at the age of 21, starting a single game at the end of the season just three months after the draft. He earned the win, striking out four over five six hit innings and allowing two runs against the Oakland Athletics.

Despite his early debut, Brown didn’t use his rookie-status until the 1989 season. He didn’t appear in the majors in 1987, and started four games in 1988. He eventually posted a 78-64 record in parts of eight seasons with the Rangers, with a 3.81 ERA over 186 starts. He struck out 742 in 1278 2/3 innings, making the all-star team in 1992.

Just before the 1995 campaign, Brown signed a free agent deal with the Baltimore Orioles, for whom he posted a 10-9 record with a 3.60 ERA in 26 starts. In late-December that same year, he signed another free agent deal with the Florida Marlins.

Kevin Brown played a 19-season major-league career, and his two seasons with the Marlins were amongst his best. In 1996 he led the National League with a 1.89 ERA over 32 starts, going 16-8 with 159 strikeouts in 233 innings and NL-best marks of a 0.944 WHIP and a 215 ERA+. Even though he also led the NL with three shutouts, he left four additional games with a shutout after completing seven or more innings.  He made his second all-star team and finished second in the NL Cy Young Award voting.

In 1997, Brown went 16-8 over 33 starts, striking out 205 in 237 1/3 innings. He registered a 1.180 WHIP and a. 2.69 ERA, making another all-star team. In five playoff starts, he went 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA and a 1.364 WHIP, but the Marlins won the World Series anyway.

After the season, the Marlins traded Brown to the San Diego Padres for Steve Hoff, Derrek Lee, and Rafael Medina. Brown made the all-star team in his one season with the Padres (18-7, 2.38), later appearing in another two over five seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers (58-32, 2.83). He closed out his career after a pair of seasons with the New York Yankees (14-13, 4.95).

9. Dan Uggla (15.7)

Dan Uggla is a 5-foot-11, 210 lb. second baseman from Louisville, KY. Born on March 11th, 1980, was an 11th round choice of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2001 MLB Amateur Entry Draft.

Before getting to the majors, Uggla joined the Marlins via the rule 5 draft following the 2005 season. Per the rules, he would have to spend the entire 2006 season on the Marlins roster, or be offered back to the Diamondbacks at a discount. It didn’t become an issue.

Uggla played well enough as a rookie with the Marlins that he earned an invitation to the all-star game, and finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year Award vote. In 154 games, he hit .282/.339/.480 with a team-leading 27 homers and 90 RBI.

In 2007, Uggla’s average regressed but he found even more power in a team-high 159 games. He hit .245/.326/.479 with a team-leading and NL-second 49 doubles, a team-second 31 home runs, and a Marlins-third-best 88 RBI.

2008 would see Uggla invited back to the all-star game with a .260/.360/.514 season. He hit a team-second-tying 32 home runs and 92 RBI in 146 games for Florida. He continued down the same path in 2009, with a .243/.354/.459 line, another 31 homers and 90 RBI, and an NL ninth 92 walks.

In 2010, Uggla won the National League Silver Slugger Award at second base for the Marlins, the first time someone had earned one from that position. Dee Gordon later took it home in 2015. Uggla slashed .287/.369/.508 in 159 games, with an NL-fifth 33 homers and a career-high (and also NL-fifth) 105 RBI, ranking 10th in the NL with 78 bases-on-balls.

Following the 2010 season, the Marlins traded Uggla to the Atlanta Braves for Mike Dunn and Omar Infante. Uggla spent four seasons with the Braves, hitting .209/.317/.391 with 79 homers and 225 RBI. He later played for the San Francisco Giants and the Washington Nationals.

8. Cliff Floyd (16.9)

Cliff Floyd is a six-foot-five, 220 lb. lefty-batting, righty-throwing left fielder from Chicago, IL. Born on December 5th, 1972, Floyd was a first round choice of the Montreal Expos in the 1991 MLB Amateur Entry Draft, with the 14th pick off the board.

Floyd worked his way up through Montreal’s system quickly, making his major league debut with the major league team proper in 1993. He played parts of four seasons with the Expos, hitting .245/.314/.385 in 256 games, with 12 home runs and 77 RBI.

Just before the 1997 regular season got underway, the Expos traded Floyd to the Marlins for Dustin Hermanson and Joe Orsulak. In 61 games with Florida, Floyd hit .234/.354/.445 with six home runs and 19 RBI.

In a career-high 153 games in 1998, Floyd hit .282/.337/.481 with 22 homers and 27 stolen bases, becoming the first member of the Marlins 20-20 club. Floyd also led a bad 54-108 Florida team reeling from their first World Series fire sale with 85 runs, 45 doubles and 90 RBI.

In 1999, Floyd was limited by injury to 69 contests, and hit .303/.379/.518 with 11 homers and 49 RBI. Unfortunately, his short-playing time somewhat negated his career-best 132 OPS+.

So Floyd did it again in 2000, repeating the 132 OPS+ in 121 games. He hit .300/.378/.529 with 22 homers and 91 RBI, along with 24 stolen bases in 27 attempts.

In 2001, Floyd had his best major league season, making the all-star team for the only time in his career. Defensively, he was 12 DRS above the average left fielder, while on the other side of the ball he hit career-bests with 31 homers and 103 RBI. He stole another 18 bases while getting caught only three times, while slashing .317/.390/.579 over 149 games for a 150 OPS+.

Through his first 84 games of 2002, Floyd hit .287/.414/.5137 with 18 round-trippers and 57 RBI. A few weeks before the trade deadline, the Marlins sent him with Wilton Guerrero and Claudio Vargas to the Expos for Graeme Lloyd, Mike Mordecai, Carl Pavano, Justin Wayne, and Don Levinski.

Floyd appeared in 15 games for the Expos before getting flipped to the Boston Red Sox to finish the season. He later played for the New York Mets, the Chicago Cubs, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the San Diego Padres.

7. Miguel Cabrera (18.3)

Miguel Cabrera is a 6-foot-4, 250 lb. left fielder from Maracay, VZ. Born on April 18th, 1983, the Marlins signed him through free agency a few months after his 16th birthday.

Miggy worked his way up through the Marlins system over the next few years, making his major league debut with Florida in 2003. Despite playing only 87 games, Cabrera finished fifth in the National League Rookie of the Year Award vote. He hit .268/.325/.468 with a dozen homers and 62 RBI. He then went 18-for-68 through the postseason, with four homers and 12 RBI as the Marlins won their second World Series Championship in six years.

In 2004, Cabrera played in 160 contests for Florida, and improved all of his hitting metrics to a slash line of .294/.366/.512 with 33 homers and an NL-fifth 112 RBI to lead the 83-79 Marlins. He played in his first all-star game, and his 309 total bases ranked 10th in the Senior Circuit. His 13 outfield assists ranked third in the NL, but unfortunately, he led the league with nine errors.

2005 would see Cabrera earn his first Silver Slugger Award, for NL left fielder. He also again played in the All Star game, and played well enough to finish fifth in the NL MVP Award voting. He hit .323/.385/.561 with 33 more home runs and an NL-fourth 116 RBI. His batting average was third in the league, and his SLG was seventh. He ranked second with 198 hits and with 12 left-field assists, third with 344 total bases, fifth with 43 doubles, and sixth with 106 runs scored.

Cabrera continued to dominate National League pitching in 2006, hitting 26 round-trippers and an NL-ninth 114 RBI. He played in his third all-star game and won another Silver Slugger, this time at third base. His .339 batting average was second in the league, he was third with his .430 OBP and with 50 doubles, and sixth with his .568 SLG in 158 contests.

2007 would be Cabrera’s last season with the Marlins, and would see him hit an NL-eighth .320/.401/.565 in 157 games. He clocked an NL-fifth 34 homers and an NL-third 119 RBI.

After the season, the Marlins traded Cabrera with Dontrelle Willis to the Detroit Tigers for Dallas Trahern, Burke Badenhop, Mike Rabelo, Frankie De La Cruz, Cameron Maybin, and Andrew Miller.

Cabrera will be entering his 13th season with Detroit in 2020, and his 18th major league season overall. Since leaving Florida, he’s played in another seven all-star games, won five more Silver Slugger Awards, and won the AL MVP in 2012 and in 2013. He’s got a career .315/.392/.543 slashline and 477 career home runs. All of his metrics point to a first ballot hall of fame election, whenever the time comes.

6. Christian Yelich 18.9

Since leaving the Marlins, Christian Yelich has acquired another 14.7 WAR with the Milwaukee Brewers in just two seasons. For context, that WAR total would be enough to place Yelich 10th on this list, and when you add the two together, he would be second, behind only… but we’ll get to him.

Yelich is a six-foot-three, 195 lb. left fielder from Thousand Oaks, CA. Born on December 5th, 1991, the Marlins chose him in the first round of the MLB Amateur Entry Draft in 2010, with the 23rd overall selection. He made his major league debut with them three seasons later, hitting .288/.370/.396 in 62 games. He also stole 10 bases without being caught.

In 2014, Yelich played his first full major league season, and responded with a .284/.362/.402 line, with nine home runs, 54 RBI, and 21 stolen bases in 28 attempts in 144 games. He won his first NL Gold Glove Award for his work in left field, earning 13 DRS above the “average” left fielder.

2015 would see Yelich play in 126 games, leading the team with 30 doubles and hitting seven homers with 44 RBI. He stole 16 bases while getting caught only five times, and slashed .300/.366/.416.

Yelich won his first Silver Slugger Award in 2016 for Miami, hitting .298/.376/.483 in 155 games. He led the club with 78 runs, 38 doubles, 72 walks, 98 RBI, and an .859 OPS, despite sharing a roster with noted slugger Giancarlo Stanton. Yelich hit 21 homers, the first season in which he finished with a double-digit home run total.

The Marlins moved Yelich to center field for the 2017 campaign, and watched him hit .282/.369/.439 with 18 homers and 81 RBI. Yelich stole another 16 bases and got caught only twice. The Marlins traded Yelich to the Brewers for Monte Harrison, Lewis Brinson, Isan Diaz, and Jordan Yamamoto after the season.

Yelich has gone on to lead the NL in batting average in both seasons he’s been in Milwaukee, winning the 2018 NL MVP and finishing second in 2019. He’s won two Silver Sluggers and played in two all-star games.

5. Dontrelle Willis (20.8)

Dontrelle Willis, known affectionately around these parts as “D-Train,” was a six-foot-two, 230 lb. left-handed pitcher from Oakland, CA. Born on January 12th, 1982, Willis was an eighth-round choice of the Chicago Cubs in the 2000 MLB Amateur Entry Draft.

Just prior to the 2002 regular season, the Cubbies traded Willis with Jose Cueto, Ryan Jorgensen, and Julian Tavarez to Florida for Antonio Alfonseca and Matt Clement. Yeah, we won that one, at least.

The following season Willis would make a splash in his major league debut, going 14-6 with a 3.30 ERA, making the all-star team and winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Oh, and he was also a World Series Champion. He struck out 142 in 160 2/3 innings with a 1.282 WHIP and a 127 ERA+. Although he wasn’t at his best in the postseason (0-1 record, 8.53 ERA, 1.974 WHIP in 12 2/3 innings), he still did his part in getting the Marlins there in the first place.

2004 would see Willis post a 10-11 record with a 4.02 ERA and a 1.376 WHIP, with 139 K’s in 197 frames for the 83-79 club.

In 2005, Willis started the campaign with consecutive shutouts, defeating the Washington Nationals 9-0 and the Philadelphia Phillies 4-0, striking out 10 and allowing 10 baserunners over the two games. He rebounded from his somewhat substandard 2004 performance to finish second in the NL Cy Young Award vote and play his way onto another All Star team. He went 22-10 in 34 games, leading the majors in victories and with seven complete games and five shutouts. Willis struck out 170 in 236 1/3 innings, with a career-best 1.134 WHIP.

The only thing Willis led the MLB in for the 2006 season was with 19 HBP, but he still went 12-12 with a 3.87 ERA over 34 starts, with a 1.419 WHIP and 160 K’s in 223 1/3 innings as the Marlins went 78-84.

Willis would see his ERA balloon to 5.17 in 2007, when he was 10-15 over a major league-high 35 starts. He allowed the most runs in the NL, with 118, and struck out 146 batters in 205 1/3 innings. Willis had pitched 1022 2/3 innings, the first Marlin to throw over one thousand innings.

After that season, the Marins traded Willis with Miguel Cabrera to the Tigers for Dallas Trahern, Burke Badenhop, Frankie De La Cruz, Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller and Mike Rabelo. Willis went 4-15 over parts of four major league seasons between the Tigers, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Cincinnati Reds. He wasn’t done trying though. Willis continued to pitch professionally in the minors until 2014, spending time in the systems of the Baltimore Orioles, the Anaheim Angels, and the San Francisco Giants. He announced his retirement from the Milwaukee Brewers during 2015 Spring Training, but the Marlins got the best of Willis, and we’ll always fondly remember D-Train’s time with Florida.

4. Luis Castillo (22.4)

The first incarnation of a fellow named Luis Castillo who played for the Marlins system was this guy, a five-foot-11, 145 lb. switch hitter from San Pedro de Macoris, DR. The Marlins signed Castillo before they had even taken the field for a major league game, in 1992.

Castillo made his pro debut in 1994 with the GCL Marlins, in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. He made his way up to the majors for his first look in 1996, when he hit .262 in 41 contests. Always a speedy guy while with the club, he stole 17 bases in 21 attempts as a rookie, portending later dominance on the basepaths.

For his first three major league seasons, Castillo split his years between the Marlins and their minor league system. From his debut through the 1998 campaign, he hit just .236 in 160 games, stealing 36 bases and getting caught 14 times. Castillo only played at second base, and never appeared anywhere else through his 15 major league seasons. He eventually played 1,683 games at second base.

1999 would represent Castillo’s coming out party. He hit .302 in 128 games for the Marlins, stealing 50 bases in 67 attempts. In 2000, he hit a career-best .334 in 136 contests, and led the majors with 62 stolen bases.

After hitting just .263 in 2001, Castillo rebounded to hit .305 the following year, making the all-star team for the first time. He again led the majors in stolen bases, with 48. His 281 stolen bases remain a Marlins record.

2003 would see Castillo return to the All Star game, and win his first Gold Glove for his work at second base. He hit .314 with 39 RBI in 152 games, ranking second on the team with 99 runs scored and with 21 stolen bases. Castillo later went 15-for-71 in 17 games in the playoffs, helping drive Florida to their second World Series Championship.

In 2004, Castillo won his second Gold Glove in 150 games for the Marlins, hitting .291 with a .383 OBP and 25 stolen bases in 29 attempts. For the second time in his career, he drew more walks than he struck out, 75-to-68 respectively.

2005 would be Castillo’s last season with the Marlins, a season in which he made the all-star team and won another Gold Glove, both for the third time. Limited by injury to 122 contests, he hit .301 and drew 65 walks while striking out less than half of that, 32 times. After the season, Castillo was traded to the Minnesota Twins for Scott Tyler and Travis Bowyer.

Castillo played a season-and-a-half for the Twins, then played for the New York Mets for three-and-a-half years.

3. Josh Johnson (25.7)

Josh Johnson was a 6-foot-7, 250 lb. righty-throwing, lefty-hitting pitcher from Minneapolis, MN. Born on January 31st, 1984, the giant was chosen in the fourth round of the 2002 MLB Amateur Entry Draft with the 113th overall selection.

Three years later, Johnson made his major league debut with the Marlins, appearing in four games, including one start. He walked as many as he struck out (10) over 12 1/3 innings, but posted no record with a 3.65 ERA. Good enough, anyway, to keep on seeing what he had to offer.

And it turned out to be quite a bit. 2006 would see Johnson earn enough NL Rookie of the Year votes to place fourth in the year end selection. In 31 appearances, including 24 starts, he went 12-7 to lead the 78-84 Marlins. Well, he at least tied for the team-lead with that victory total. Dontrelle Willis and Scott Olsen also collected a dozen wins, Ricky Nolasco had 11, and Anibal Sanchez 10. It was the last time that five starters all finished with a dozen victories for Florida. Johnson struck out 133 in 157 innings, and closed the season with a 1.299 WHIP.

An irritated ulnar nerve laid Johnson up for most of the 2007 campaign, and when he did play, he surrendered a nearly unrepeatable 2.426 WHIP over 15 2/3 innings. He was 0-3 with a 7.47 ERA over four starts.

2008 would see Johnson start 14 games for the Marlins, and post a 7-1 record with a 3.61 ERA over 87 1/3 frames. He struck out 77 and dropped his WHIP to a more palatable mark of 1.351 in his limited playing time.

In 2009, Johnson was finally able to get a full season together. He started 33 rotational games, and went 15-5 with a 3.23 ERA and 191 K’s in 209 innings. His 1.158 WHIP ranked him eighth in the National League. He played in his first All Star game as the fruits of his labors.

2010 would see Johnson lead the NL with a 2.30 ERA over 28 starts. He was 11-6 with 186 strikeouts in 183 2/3 innings, with a league-best 180 ERA+, a major league-leading 2.41 FIP, and a league seventh 1.105 WHIP.

Johnson started the 2011 promisingly enough, going 3-1 with a 1.64 ERA over nine starts, striking out 56 in 60 innings and holding the opposition to a 0.978 WHIP, which would have stood as his career best. Unfortunately, his season ended early due to right shoulder inflammation.

Johnson remained with the Marlins when they changed their name from Florida to Miami for the 2012 campaign. He posted an 8-14 record with a 3.81 ERA over 31 starts, with 165 whiffs in 191 1/3 innings of work. After the season, the Marlins traded Johnson with Emilio Bonifacio, John Buck, Mark Buehrle,and  Jose Reyes to the Toronto Blue Jays for Henderson Alvarez, Anthony DeSclafani, Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hechavarria, Jake Marisnick, Jeff Mathis, and Justin Nicolino.

In 16 starts for Toronto, Johnson posted a 2-8 record and a 6.20 ERA. After a series of injury problems kept him off the field for the following few seasons, he announced his retirement on January 19th, 2017.

1. Giancarlo Stanton (35.5)

In a development that should surprise exactly nobody, Giancarlo Stanton tops our Top 50 list.

Stanton is a six-foot-six, 245 lb. outfielder from Panorama City, CA. Born on November 8th, 1989, he was the Marlins second round pick in the 2007 MLB Amateur Entry Draft, 76th off the board.

Stanton made his major league debut with Florida in the 2010 season, when he played in 100 games and hit 22 home runs with 59 RBI. He struck out 123 times in 396 plate appearances, approaching but never whiffing over a third of the time.

Despite his strikeout woes, Stanton was capable of launching a ball into the upper atmosphere nearly every time he came to the plate. His 267 career homers with the Marlins easily leads the leaderboard, over 100 more than second place Dan Uggla.

Stanton made the all-star team for the Marlins four times in his eight seasons with the ball club, winning Silver Slugger Awards in 2014 and again in 2017. He led the National League in slugging percentage in 2012, when he hit 37 taters with 86 RBI. His 37 home runs two seasons later was enough to lead the Senior Circuit as well, along with a .555 SLG and 299 total bases.

2017 would be Stanton’s signature campaign. He played in a career-best 159 games and hit .281/.376/.631, with 59 home runs and 132 RBI to lead the major leagues.

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• Miami Marlins keep missing out on stars

We all know the next part of the story, but if you’ve been living under a rock for the past two years, you should know the Marlins traded Stanton to the New York Yankees. In return, Miami received Jose Devers, Jorge Guzman, and two years of Starlin Castro.

Stanton has hit .268/.349/.507 in his two seasons with the Bombers, racking up only 41 homers. He missed nearly all of the 2019 season with an injury, and stands to recover nicely in 2020.

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