Miami Marlins: The 10 Best Rookie Seasons in Franchise History

The Miami Marlins have had four Rookie of the Year players grace the organization. Hopefully, the Marlins have drafted yet another future recipient for the prestigious award during this years draft.

From pitchers to position players, the Marlins have always done well to develop players, even having multiple players named all-stars during their rookie campaign. Even now, the Marlins have some great young talent on their roster headlined by current NL Rookie of the Year favorite and 2021 NL All-Star pitcher Trevor Rogers.

However, Rogers will not be considered for this list as his rookie season is still ongoing. The same goes for Jazz Chisholm and Anthony Bender, who are also having tremendous rookie seasons for the Marlins.

The Miami Marlins have seen some great rookie seasons in their franchise history.

This list will countdown the Top 10 rookie seasons in Marlins franchise history. However, just because a player won the Rookie of the Year does not mean they will automatically be ranked higher than others. This list will solely look at the numbers, as well as the impact the player had for the team that season.

But first, some honorable mentions:

HM. Luis Castillo (1996)

The all-time franchise leader in hits had a solid rookie year at 20 years and 331 days old. While he barely broke the rookie eligibility rule, Castillo had 164 AB’s and slashed .262/.320/.305. Just like his career, he never had a ton of pop on his bat as he only had one HR during his rookie season.

HM. Scott Olsen (2006)

Olsen had his best season in the majors as a rookie, finishing ninth in the NL Rookie of the Year race in 2006. During that season, Olsen had a 12-10 record with a 4.04 ERA to pair with 166 K’s. Olsen was a solid part of the Marlins rotation during the 2006 season, which saw four rookie pitchers have 10 wins (more on that later).

HM. Kevin Millar (1999)

A fan favorite in Marlins history, even though he only played 500 games for the Fish. However, he is still probably one of the better hitters the organization has had from a pure numbers point of view. Millar’s rookie eligibility ended in 1999 where he slashed .285/.362/.433 with 9 HR’s and 67 RBI’s.

10. Anibal Sanchez (2006)

Sanchez was a solid major leaguer for more than a decade, even though not all of that was spent in a Marlins uniform. Sanchez was a rookie with the great Marlins rookie class of 2006 going 10-3 with a 2.83 ERA. Still only 22 years old at the time, Sanchez threw 114.1 innings and only allowed 9 HR’s.

While not necessarily overpowering hitters with a meager 72 K’s, Sanchez nonetheless was hard to get a hit off. Sanchez’s 2006 rookie season brought some phenomenal performances including his debut against the New York Yankees, pitching 5.2 scoreless innings with seven hits and two strikeouts in a win, as well as a no-hitter against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

9. Giancarlo Stanton (2010)

Stanton, the only MVP winner this franchise has ever had, also began his career looking like a player that would have an impact for years to come. Known as Mike Stanton at the time, Stanton was the third-youngest player to debut for the Marlins at 20 years and 212 days old.

Stanton’s rookie year came in 2010 when he slashed .259/.326/.507 with a phenomenal 22 HR’s. The young slugger however struggled as well with 123 K’s and a strikeout percentage of 31.1%, the second-highest of his career looking back. Stanton also had a memorable debut against the Philadelphia Phillies where he went 3-for-5 at the plate.

6. Josh Johnson (2006)

Originally drafted in the fourth round of the 2002 MLB Draft, Johnson was the second pitcher from the 2006 rookie crop to make this list going 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA and 133 K’s. Even with these strong numbers, Johnson finished in fourth place for NL Rookie of the Year voting behind a couple of other Marlins (more on that later).

Johnson was tied for the most wins on the team during his first year along with two other teammates, while also leading the team in ERA. Johnson would eventually become a two-time All-Star, and win the ERA title in 2010 making him not only one of the best rookies, but best pitchers in Marlins history.

5. Chris Coghlan (2009)

The third player to win the Rookie of the Year award for the franchise, Coghlan played in 128 games during his rookie season. Coghlan slashed .321/.390/.460 during the 2009 season, and was sixth in the National League with his .321 AVG, to pair with 31 doubles, 9 HR’s, and 47 RBI’s.

Coghlan was never able to reproduce the success he had during his rookie run, but his great rookie season is enshrined forever with him winning the NL Rookie of the Year. While he struggled after this rookie season, Coghlan certainly made a big and memorable impact during 2009 with the organization that will be remembered for years to come.

4. Dontrelle Willis (2003)

The first Marlins player to win the NL Rookie of the Year, Willis’ rookie year came during the 2003 championship-winning season. During this season, Willis posted a 14-6 record with a 3.30 ERA and 142 K’s, as well as pitching two complete-game shutouts, both before the age of 22.

D-Train was always fun to watch with his signature high kick throwing motion that he had. While his postseason was not as memorable as previously mentioned Miguel Cabrera’s turned out to be, Willis was a large contributor for a World Series team posting the third-highest WAR at 4.4.

3. Dan Uggla (2006)

Selected during the Rule 5 Draft from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Uggla came into the league mashing as he hit 27 HR’s in his rookie season with a .282 AVG and a .818 OPS. At 26 years old, it was evident to say that Uggla was seasoned enough to begin his major league journey.

Making the 2006 NL All-Star team in his rookie year, the lone rookie on the team in 2006 to do so, Uggla also finished in second place in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. One of the best home run hitters to ever wear a Marlins uniform, Uggla probably had one of the best seasons in league history to not win a Rookie of the Year award.

2. Hanley Ramirez (2006)

Acquired in 2005 from the Red Sox in a blockbuster trade, Ramirez played his first full season in 2006 when he won the organization’s second Rookie of the Year Award. Ramirez that season slashed .292/.353/.480 with 59 RBI’s, 17 HR’s, 11 triples, and 51 SB’s.

Able to make an impact anywhere on the field, Ramirez would go on to win two silver sluggers, as well as a batting title in 2009 when he averaged .342. The Ramirez deal could be seen as one of the few times both teams came out on top as the Red Sox would go on to win the World Series, while the Marlins gained prospects that came into the league and make an immediate impact.

1. Jose Fernandez (2013)

Debuting in 2013, Fernandez made his way to the big leagues at 20 years old and 250 days. During his rookie year in 2013, Fernandez flashed that brilliance he showed in the minors posting a 12-6 record with a 2.19 ERA and 187 K’s.

In his first year in the majors, Fernandez finished second in the league in ERA, as well as his first NL All-Star team. Fernandez’s brilliance on the mound will always be remembered as evident by his historic 2013 rookie season that will go down in not only Marlins history, but baseball history overall.

We’ve seen the phenomenal rookie seasons that the Marlins have had during their franchise history. Will we see any current or future Marlins players join this list in the near future?