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Miami Marlins History: Best Single-Season Hitters

Kevin Kraczkowski|
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 23: Jon Berti #55 of the Miami Marlins connects on a ninth inning base hit against the New York Mets at Citi Field on September 23, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 23: Jon Berti #55 of the Miami Marlins connects on a ninth inning base hit against the New York Mets at Citi Field on September 23, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
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Miami Marlins
2 Jun 1998: Todd Zeile #27 of the Florida Marlins. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel /Allsport

Todd Zeile 1998: 116 OPS+

Todd Zeile was a third baseman and a catcher by trade. A six-foot-one, 200 lb. product of Hart HS in Newhall, CA, he was initially drafted in the 30th round of the 1983 MLB Amateur Entry Draft by the Kansas City Royals.

Zeile attended UCLA for three seasons following his first selection in the draft, then came back to get chosen in the second round by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1986. He made his major league debut for the club in 1989, but his journey was then only just getting started.

Zeile would go on to appear with a total of 11 teams over his 16-season major league career. In 1998, the season he spent with the Florida Marlins, he neither began or ended the year with the club. He started the year with the Los Angeles Dodgers, then on May 14 was involved in a historical trade along with Mike Piazza. Notably, he and Piazza were traded to the Florida Marlins for Manuel Barrios, Bobby Bonilla, Jim Eisenreich, Charles Johnson, and Gary Sheffield. Piazza played five games in Florida, Zeile stuck around for 66. At the trade deadline, he was sent to the Texas Rangers for Dan DeYoung and Jose Santos.

In 10 of the 11 seasons between 1990 and 2000, Zeile ranked as “above average” in terms of OPS+, with marks over 100. His partial-season OPS+ of 116 with the Marlins represented one of the better stretches of his career. He hit .291/.374/.427 with six home runs and 39 RBI.

Zeile eventually appeared in 2,158 games in total, also playing with the Chicago Cubs, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Baltimore Orioles, the New York Mets, the Colorado Rockies, the New York Yankees, and the Montreal Expos in addition to the teams already mentioned in this story. His combination of power and consistency went under recognized through his career, with zero All Star invitations.

"Per Elias Sports Bureau, in the All-Star game era there have been 97 players with 250 career home runs and 2,000 hits, and Zeile is the only one who did not make an All-Star game. – Christina Kahrl, ESPN.COM"
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