2 players whose numbers the Miami Marlins should retire

New York Mets v Miami Marlins
New York Mets v Miami Marlins / Megan Briggs/GettyImages
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Did you know that the Miami Marlins have no retired uniform numbers?! Did you know that The Fish are the only Major League team in this situation?! To be fair, number 42 is retired in honor of Jackie Robinson and his breaking of the color barrier. That said, his number is retired all across the Majors and during his career The Fish didn't even exist! With the team focused on off-season moves, why not take a breather down memory lane?

The Miami Marlins should honor two former players.

2. C IVAN RODRIGUEZ

I know, I know... he only played one season for the Miami Marlins. That should disqualify him from having his number retired right? Well, that's true but he was an integral part in the then Florida Marlins winning the World Series in the 2003 season. The way Pudge took control of that team is an iconic moment in franchie history.

Ivan Rodriguez was a superstar, when he signed with the then Florida Marlins as a free agent prior to the 2003 season. He was a career .305/.342/.489 hitter by that point. Pudge was also a 10 time American League All-Star, 4 time American League MVP award contender and the 1999 American League MVP award winner. That 1999 season saw him bat .332/.356/.558, with 35 home runs and 113 RBI in 144 games and 600 AB. I'd like to remind you that he was a CATCHER.

The 2003 season was his only season with The Fish, but what a memorable season it was! He batted .297/.369/.474, with 16 home runs and 85 RBI in 144 games and 511 AB. He was worth 4.5 WAR for that performance. He then proceeded to bat .313/.390/.522, with 3 home runs and 17 RBI in 17 games and 67 AB. He was also the captain and the heart of the team.

It's not a surprise that the then Florida Marlins failed to make the playoffs in the 2004 season. Ivan Rodriguez left as a free agent to sign with the Detroit Tigers. I can understand the argument that since he only played one season with the team, he shouldn't qualify, but he's so instrumental to that 2003 championship team. Call me biased, but number 7 belongs to Pudge.

NEXT: What could have been...