Miami Marlins
Established: 1993
Other Names:
Florida Marlins (1993-2011)
2016 results: 79-82,
3rd NL East
2017 Prediction: 2nd
World Series Titles: 2
Most Recent: 2003
Last World Series
Appearance: 2003
Last Division Title: N/A
Ballpark: Marlins
Park
Est: 2012
Best Season: 1997
The 1997 Florida Marlins were
the text-book example of a team “buying a championship”. In just their fifth
year of existence the Marlins put together a team for a one-year run to the
Wold Series. But despite how much money is spent, the players still have to
perform well and the Marlins did that. They finished the season with a 92-70
record, second in the NL East behind Atlanta and qualified as the Wild Card
team. They swept the Giants in the NLDS, knocked out the Braves in six games in
the NLCS and then defeated the Cleveland Indians in a thrilling seven-game
World Series. After the season, the Marlins tore the team apart due to
financial difficulties within the organization and plummeted down the
standings. To date, the Marlins are the only team to win a World Series without
ever having won a division title in their franchise history (and they’ve won it
twice). The 1997 team was led by Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Devon White and
Moises Alou at the plate, while the pitching was anchored by Kevin Brown, Alex
Fernandez and Al Leiter.
Best All-time Player:
Luis Castillo
It’s so hard to pick the
Marlins’ greatest player because none of them have ever been around for a
significant amount of time. Castillo played seven full seasons and parts of
three more with the club, so that would qualify as the most tenured Marlin. In 1128
games with Florida, he accumulated 1273 hits, a .293 batting average, hit 20
home runs, 271 RBIs and stole 281 bases while scoring 675 runs. He helped the
team win the World Series in 2003. Castillo was a three-time All-Star and won
three Gold Gloves at second base.
Best Player on the
Current Roster: Giancarlo Stanton
Even though Giancarlo Stanton’s
power numbers are impressive, his low batting average and injury proneness are
concerns the Marlins have. But when he is in the line up, his talents are obvious.
The 27 home runs he belted in 2016 have given him a total of 208 in his career.
Consider that he has only averaged 118 games played per season and it makes you
wonder how high his total would be if he could stay healthy for a whole season.
His best season was 2014 when he hit a N.L.-leading 37 home runs, had 105 RBIs
and batted .288 while finishing second in MVP voting. He is a three-time
All-Star.
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