Miami Marlins Dream Team

 

Every sport evolves with each passing generation -- from the

size and athleticism of players to game strategy. 

Baseball’s evolution, however, is both historic and unique given

the pre-integration and dead ball eras. For the former, full

segregation took place from 1887-1947. Full integration, which

was a gradual process, came in 1959. The Deadball Era was a

period in the early 20th century when baseball was characterized

by low scoring and emphasis on pitching. 

There was the Steroid Era, which has no definite start time though

it is generally assumed that the era ran from the late 1980s until

the late 2000s. This era was defined by shattered home run

records leading to exorbitant salaries. 

The Miami Marlins have existed since 1993 along with the

Colorado Rockies, who entered the Major Leagues that year. Only

the Arizona Diamondbacks have a shorter Major League Baseball

history. The Marlins have been to the postseason only three times,

winning the World Series twice (4-2 over the Cleveland Indians in

1997 and 4-2 over the New York Yankees in 2003). The franchise

has had just seven winning seasons. They were known as the

Florida Marlins until 2012 but have since been rebranded as Miami

Marlins. 

Today, I formed a Marlins Dream Team. For openers, to make this

roster, four years as a Marlin are required. No exceptions. With the

free agency era, I’m not going to cheapen this roster with 1-3 year

rentals. The conundrum with forming a Marlins Dream Team is that

the history is long enough to create a starting lineup but the players

that provide bullpen and bench depth might be a reach. 

I’m forming a 12 man pitching staff, five starters and seven relievers.

For the latter, I want at least one lefthander in the bullpen. For

position players, I am taking what I believe is the best of the best

regardless of era. I’m not picking a designated hitter because the

bench has enough quality depth to choose one on a given day. For

the bench players, it’s the best of the rest with versatility being

heavily considered. Merit achievements such as Hall of Fame, All

Star appearances and Gold Gloves are considered but not

guaranteed. General impactfulness on the franchise is also

considered.

Generational reminders

If you played on a World Series champion or playoff team, there is

no guarantee of landing on this roster. If you played during a bad

season, that does not deter you from being on this roster. Off the

field baggage is not a deterrent to landing on this team, nor is any

Steroid Era affiliation. This is baseball, not the Boys Scouts. 

Starting pitchers

Dontrelle Willis, Jose Fernandez, Josh Johnson, Josh Beckett,

Ricky Nolasco

Fernandez's legacy is both tragic and “what could have been” as

he was killed in a boating accident in September of 2016, just a

couple days after he made his final Major League start. Fernandez

pitched just four seasons in the Major Leagues but he was

incredibly impactful winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2013 and

becoming a two-time All-Star. When looking at the totality of his

career, an argument could be made that Johnson might be the best

starting pitcher in the history of the Marlins. Johnson pitched eight

seasons with the franchise and was a two-time All-Star. Johnson

led the National League in ERA in 2010. Nolasco pitched eight

seasons with the Marlins and though he never earned any All-Star

accolades, his longevity and durability counts for quite a bit. He is

the franchise leader of the wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched.

Beckett pitched five seasons for the Marlins and though he did not

earn any All Star accolades and was at times injury-prone, his 2003

postseason will never be forgotten. He earned World Series MVP

honors as the Marlins defeated the New York Yankees. Beckett was

one of the toughest postseason pitchers of his generation. Willis

was an electrifying left-handed pitcher, simply known as the

“D-Train.” He remains one of the most popular players in franchise

history as he burst onto the scene in 2003. Willis was the National

League Rookie of the Year that season on the way to helping the

Marlins win their second World Series title. He was a two-time

All-Star and led the National League in victories in 2005. 

Bullpen

Closer -- Robb Nen

Antonio Alfonseca, AJ Ramos, Steve Cishek, Mike Dunn, Braden

Looper, Kyle Barraclough

Nen was drafted in the 32nd round of the 1987 draft by the Texas

Rangers. He was an original Marlin and spent five seasons with

the franchise. He was later traded to the San Francisco Giants but

his five years with the Marlins were very impactful as he evolved

into a shutdown closer. Nen recorded 106 of his 314 career saves

with the Marlins and helped deliver the franchise's 1997 World

Series title. Alfonseca pitched a combined six seasons with the

Marlins and is second in franchise history behind Nen with 102

career saves. Alfonseca was a member of the 1997 World Series

team and led the National League in saves in 2000. Ramos

pitched six seasons with the Marlins and was picked in the 21st

round of the 2012 draft and became an accomplished reliever for

the Marlins. His best season was 2016 when he was an All-Star

and converted 40 of 43 save opportunities. The sidearming

Cishek pitched a mixture of both the setup role and closer. His 94

saves ranked third in franchise history.

No one has pitched more games in franchise history than Dunn,

who was a Marlin for five seasons. During his career with the

Marlins, he recorded a 3.59 ERA and had a better than 2-to-1

strikeout-to-walk ratio. Looper could be a bit erratic but in his five

seasons with the Marlins recorded a 3.69 ERA. Barraclough

pitched four seasons with the Marlins and in that span compiled

a 3.21 ERA. 

Infield

Catcher -- JT Realmuto, First base -- Jeff Conine, Second

base -- Luis Castillo, Third base -- Mike Lowell, Shortstop --

Hanley Ramirez

Realmuto, who is now a Philadelphia Phillie, was a Marlin for five

seasons and made an immediate impact of time breaking into

the Major Leagues in 2014. His lone All-Star season was 2018.

Conine was an original Marlin who played a combined eight

seasons with the franchise. He was a two-time All-Star and helped

deliver World Series titles in both 1997 and 2003. Castillo is a

slam-dunk choice for the starting second baseman. He played a

total of 10 seasons with the Marlins and was an All-Star in three

of those years. Due to injury he did not play in the 1997 World

Series what was a key contributor on the 2003 team. Castillo was

also a three-time gold glove Award winner and led the National

League in stolen bases on two occasions. 

Lowell played seven seasons with the Marlins and was a vital cog

in the 2003 World Series team. He was an All-Star in three of his

seven seasons as a Marlin. Lowell was a Silver Slugger Award

winner in 2003 and Gold Glove Award winner in 2005. Ramirez

had an accomplished seven year career with the Marlins. He was

an All-Star in three consecutive seasons and a two-time Silver

Slugger Award winner. He was the National League Rookie of the

Year in 2006, member of the 30/30 club in 2008 and National

League batting champion in 2009. 

Outfield

Leftfield -- Cliff Floyd, Centerfield -- Juan Pierre, Rightfield --

Giancarlo Stanton

Floyd was well-traveled in his Major League career, playing for

eight teams over the course of 17 years with six of them being as

a Marlin. Floyd was a member of the 1997 World Series team. His

best season came in 2001 when he made the All-Star team with

31 home runs and 103 RBIs. He is one of three left-handed hitters

in franchise history to hit more than 30 home runs in a season.

Pierre played only four seasons with the Marlins over two stints but

is one of the most pivotal players in franchise history. Acquired in a

trade from the Colorado Rockies, Pierre helped the Marlins win

their 2003 World Series title. He led the Major Leagues in stolen

bases three times and is one of only 18 players to compile 600

career stolen bases. Stanton has since become a New York

Yankee and while his career in Miami was often hit with injuries,

he was one of the game's most feared hitters. Stanton was a

four-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award along with

leading the National League in home runs twice and RBIs once.

Stanton was the National League MVP in 2017. That season,

Stanton hit a franchise-record 59 home runs and 132 RBIs. 

Bench

Charles Johnson, Marcell Ozuna, Gary Sheffield, Miguel Cabrera,

Derrek Lee, Dan Uggla. 

Johnson played seven seasons with the Marlins over two stints.

His career .245 batting average is pedestrian but he was a four-time

Gold Glove Award winner and two-time All-Star who helped the

Marlins win their 1997 World Series title. Johnson's career .993

fielding percentage ranks him 16th in Major League history among

catchers. Lee played six seasons with the Marlins and ended up

being a crucial piece to their 2003 World Series championship. That

season, he won the first of his three career Gold Gloves. 

Ozuna, who is now an Atlanta Brave, was a two-time All-Star in five

seasons with the Marlins. He was also a Gold Glove Award winner

and Silver Slugger Award winner in his final season before being

traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. The well-traveled Sheffield played

for eight different teams in 22 seasons. He was an original Marlin

member of the team’s 1997 World Series. Four of his nine All-Star

appearances came as a Marlin. Sheffield, who has been considered

for the Hall of Fame, is the first player in Major League history to hit

at least 25 home runs for six different teams. 

Manager

Jack McKeon

This position has been a revolving door in franchise history with

current manager Don Mattingly having the longest tenure at five years

and the most victories. The Marlins, however, have had just one

winning season under his watch. McKeon checks two boxes in that

he has a winning record with the Marlins and delivered their 2003

World Series championship and at age 72, becoming the oldest

manager to lead his team to a World Series. McKeon was the two-

time National League Manager of the Year including the 2003

season. McKeon returned on an interim basis in 2011 and at age

80, became the second oldest manager in Major League history

behind Connie Mack. 

Team

2003

Both Marlins World Series titles involved an underdog role. The

2003 team, however, gets the nod over the 1997 version. The

Marlins went 16-22 in their first 38 games leading to the dismissal

of manager Jeff Torborg, who was replaced by McKeon. The Marlins

eventually faltered to 19-29 but recorded a 75-49 mark the rest of

the regular season to earn the National League wild-card berth.

The Marlins defeated the San Francisco Giants 3-1 in the NLDS

before rallying from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Chicago Cubs in

seven games. The Marlins then went on to upset the New York

Yankees 4-2 winning Game 6 in Yankee Stadium.