2 players whose numbers the Miami Marlins should retire

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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...

1. SP JOSE FERNANDEZ

I remember September 25, 2016 very well to this day. I checked the news as I woke up, and saw something that seemed too shocking to be true: "Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez has been pronounced dead". I had to re-read it multiple times as it seemed too horrifying to be true. Unfortunately it was. The young ace was dead at just 24 years old.

It's a very unique situation considering how exactly he died. He was intoxicated and under the influence as he suffered his tragic fate in a boat accident. All that said, he was a 24 year old who was suddenly rich and famous. I'm certainly not excusing his behavior, it's a controversial subject that I'm not going to discuss any further.

On the field Jose Fernandez was amazing. He never had an ERA above 2.92 in his entire career, which is unheard of. In 2013, he had a 2.19 ERA/2.73 FIP, with 9.7 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 28 games and 172.2 innings pitched. That debut won him the National League Rookie of the year award and was worth an astounding 6.2 WAR.

Fernandez followed up his 2013 season, with a 2.44 ERA/2.18 FIP with 12.2 K/9 and 2.3 B/9 in 2014, in 8 games and 51.2 innings pitched. The season was cut short due to Jose's elbow injury, that ultimately led to the dreaded Tommy John Surgery. Fernandez returned late in the 2015 season to produce a 2.92 ERA/2.24 FIP, with 11.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 11 games and 64.2 innings pitched. This was nothing short of remarkable.

Jose Fernandez pitched his final season in 2016. That season he produced a 2.86 ERA/2.30 FIP, with the Major League leading 12.5 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9, in 29 games and 182.1 innings pitched.

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The Miami Marlins should honor two former players.

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