The Marlins' all-time single-season team
MIAMI -- The Marlins have had no shortage of great individual seasons. Among the highlights are Giancarlo Stanton’s National League MVP Award-winning campaign in 2017 and Dontrelle Willis’ 22-win season in '05.
For argument’s sake, who were the best of the best?
MLB.com has put together the all-time Marlins’ roster, based on position. This list is not necessarily the best all-time players at each position, but those who had the best individual seasons.
Here’s the roster.
C: Charles Johnson, 1997
Key fact: A Gold Glove winner, Johnson went the entire season without committing an error
Entering his prime at age 25, Johnson was an NL All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner on a World Series championship team. The best defensive catcher in the NL in those days, Johnson played in 124 games and remarkably did not commit an error in 1,076 2/3 innings. At the plate, he hit .250 with an .802 OPS, 19 home runs and 63 RBIs, and he came up big in the World Series.
1B: Derrek Lee, 2003
Key fact: Lee won his first Gold Glove and chipped in with 31 homers
The 2003 season is when Lee started to emerge as one of the best first basemen in the NL. Lee’s versatility was on display in the World Series championship season. He played in 155 games and was a Gold Glove Award winner. He belted 31 homers with 92 RBIs, and he stole 21 bases. Lee’s slash line was .271/.379/.508.
2B: Dee Strange-Gordon, 2015
Key fact: NL batting champ with .333 average
In a close call, Strange-Gordon gets the nod over Luis Castillo ('03) and Dan Uggla ('10). Strange-Gordon was the NL batting champion with his .333 average. He paced the Majors in stolen bases (58) and hits (205). Strange-Gordon was an All-Star, a Gold Glove Award winner and a Silver Slugger Award winner in his best season.
SS: Hanley Ramirez, 2008
Key fact: All-around great year, leading Majors with 125 runs
With a .342 batting average in 2009, Ramirez was the NL batting champion. But in terms of overall play, Ramirez’s '08 season was even better. His fWAR was 7.4 in ’08, a season in which his slash line was .301/.400/.540 with 33 home runs. Ramirez stole 35 bases, and he paced the Majors with 125 runs. He was an All-Star and Silver Slugger.
3B: Miguel Cabrera, 2006
Key fact: An All-Star and Silver Slugger, finished second in batting average with a .339 average
After Mike Lowell was traded to the Red Sox the previous offseason, Cabrera transitioned to third base, and he turned in his third straight All-Star season while winning his second consecutive Silver Slugger. Cabrera batted .339 with a .998 OPS while smacking 26 home runs and driving in 114 runs. He also scored 112 runs. All this at the age of 23, as he finished fifth in NL MVP Award voting.
LF: Cliff Floyd, 2001
Key fact: Finished with 31 homers, 103 RBIs, 123 runs and 18 stolen bases
Floyd’s 2001 season is one of the more unheralded campaigns in club history, but it certainly is worthy of recognition. The then-28-year-old was an All-Star, finishing with a slash line of .317/.390/.578 with 31 home runs, 103 RBIs and 123 runs. Floyd’s wRC+ was 146. While being a power threat, he added 18 stolen bases.
CF: Juan Pierre, 2003
Key fact: Swiped MLB-leading 65 bases, still a franchise record
Acquired from the Rockies the previous offseason, Pierre was the catalyst on the 2003 World Series championship team. The speedster played every inning of the season, and he hit .305 with a .361 on-base percentage. He added 28 doubles and seven triples. Pierre’s 65 stolen bases topped the Majors, and it remains a Marlins single-season record. Pierre chipped in with 204 hits and 100 runs scored.
RF: Giancarlo Stanton, 2017
Key fact: NL MVP Award winner after belting 59 homers
With the lone MVP Award season in Marlins history, Stanton showed what he could do if he stayed healthy for an entire campaign. The slugger played in 159 games and set franchise marks with 59 home runs and 132 RBIs, both leading the NL. His slash line was .281/.376/.631, and his wRC+ was 158. Stanton was an All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner in his final season with the club.
SP: Dontrelle Willis, 2005
Key fact: Paced the NL with 22 wins and is still the only 20-game winner in Marlins history
"D-Train" became the Marlins’ first (and only) 20-game winner, going 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA in 236 1/3 innings. Willis was an All-Star and the NL Cy Young Award runner-up, finishing second to the Cardinals' Chris Carpenter. Willis finished with an fWAR of 6.5, and he gets the nod over José Fernández, who went 16-8 with a 2.86 ERA and a club-record 253 strikeouts in 2016, and Kevin Brown, who set the franchise ERA record of 1.89 in 1996.
RP: Armando Benitez, 2004
Key fact: Set franchise saves record with 47
A free-agent signing for $3.5 million, Benitez proved to be a bargain in his lone season with the Marlins. The veteran right-hander paced the NL with 47 saves, which remains a franchise record. He had only four blown saves, and he boasted a 1.29 ERA, a .152 batting average against and a 0.82 WHIP.