Miami Marlins History: Best Single-Season Hitters

Carlos Delgado 2005: 160 OPS+

Of the 42 one-and-done players to play for the Marlins for a single season, none were even in the same time zone as Carlos Delgado‘s 2005 campaign.

Delgado started his major league career in 1993 with the Toronto Blue Jays, and remained with the club for a dozen seasons in total. In a franchise-second 1,423 games for the Jays, Delgado hit .282/.392/.556 with a team-record 336 home runs and a team-record 1058 RBI.

On January 25, 2005, left-handed hitting Delgado signed a deal to play for the Marlins for four-seasons and $52 million. He led the team with 33 home runs, tied with Miguel Cabrera, and his 115 RBI was one fewer than the young-then-left fielder.

More from Marlins History

• Miami Marlins One-Year Wonder 1B
• Miami Marlins players & the 2023 Hall of Fame
• Former Miami Marlins star is retiring
• Gary Sheffield or Mark Buehrle, will either Marlin make the Hall of Fame?
• Why don’t we see more dynasties? Part 3

As Florida’s first baseman, Delgado hit .301/.399/.582 in 144 contests. His OBP and his SLG led the team, while his batting average ranked third. On May 29, Delgado drew a walk in the second, got to first via a Tom Glavine HBP in the third, scored Juan Pierre on a single in the fifth, then drove in himself, Luis Castillo, and Cabrera with a round-tripper in the seventh of a 6-3 win over the New York Mets.

After the 2005 season, Delgado was traded by Florida with cash to the Mets for Grant Psomas, Mike Jacobs, and Yusmeiro Petit. Delgado played another four seasons of major league ball for the Mets, hitting .267/.351/.506 with another 104 dingers and 339 RBI. After 17 seasons, he had collected 473 moonshots and 1512 RBI. In 2015, he only garnered 3.8 percent of the BBWAA vote to get into the Hall of Fame, falling off the ballot without any fanfare. They still let in Harold Baines, so what do I know?

Thanks for reading.