RSSThe Five Best Florida Marlins Pitchers in Franchise History
Mar 14
Florida baseball, Florida, Florida Marlins, hobbies, miami, mlb, Pitchers, recreation, sports No Comments
As an expansion team founded in 1993, the Florida Marlins are probably most known for training extremely talented players, only to trade them away for more prospects. It’s a continuous cycle that is caused by a lack of revenue. Unfortunately, the Marlins simply can’t get people to go to their game. Try going to a Marlins-Nationals game during the week; it’s actually quite pathetic how few fans go to support their team. Because of this (and because the owner is kinda cheap), the Marlins are always last in payroll, or at least close to it. So, when their players get too good, they trade them.
Despite this lowball strategy, the Marlins have two World Series since their debut as a franchise in 1993. This is considered very successful by all means, as many larger budget teams (i.e. the Mets, the Dodgers, etc.) haven’t won a single World Series in the same period. Marlins pitching has been largely responsible for these championships, and we’re now going to look at the top 5 pitchers in Florida Marlins history.
5. Carl Pavano – You gotta love it when a guy who plays on a team for only two seasons can be considered one of the top pitchers in their team’s history. That’s right, Pavano played with the Marlins during the 2003-2004 seasons before bolting for a big contract with the Yankees. Unfortunately for the Yankees, he’s turned out to be a major bust, but his best season by far came just before he left. A career .500 pitcher with an ERA nearing 4.50, Pavano had an extremely good season in 2004, in which he went 18-8 with an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.17. He also happened to hit 2 HR’s that year, if that means anything. Pavano finished his stint with the Marlins with a 33-23 record and a 3.64 ERA, which is good for 5th on the Marlins best pitchers of all-time.
4. AJ Burnett – Another current New York Yankee, Burnett spent the first 7 years of his career in a Marlins uniform. While Burnett has achieved great success in recent years and is considered one of the better pitchers in baseball, injuries somewhat held Burnett back in Florida and his all-time record with the team was 49-50. 2002 was a noteworthy year for the young pitcher, who threw 203 strikeouts, along with a 12-9 record and a 3.30 ERA.
3. Kevin Brown – Kevin Brown had two of the best pitching season in Florida Marlins history. While he only spent two short years in a Marlins uniform, any fans of the team will certainly remember how valuable his contributions were to the franchise. Take his first season as a Marlin, for example. A 1.89 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP happen so rarely in baseball that they’re usually paired with a Cy Young award. Brown most definitely had a dominant reign as a Marlin during his two short years spent with the team.
2. Josh Beckett – Now a pitcher with the Boston Red Sox and an All-Star a few times over, Beckett is most well known for his heroics as a Marlin during the 2003 World Series against the Yankees. During the 2003 playoffs, Beckett had an incredible 2.11 ERA, and is largely responsible for the Florida World Series win that season. As a Marlin, Beckett averaged nearly a strikeout per inning, fanning 607 batters in 609 innings pitched, and allowing just 529 hits during his time with the team, well below one per inning.
1. Dontrelle Willis – Geez, what’s happened to Dontrelle? Ever since he left the Marlins, he’s been terrible. But for purposes of this list, he’s the #1 pitcher in Florida Marlins history. His longevity (he’s made 162 starts, 31 more than the next closest), and his personality have made him a fan favorite down here in Miami. Dontrelle finished his career with the Marlins with a 68-54 record (more wins than anybody in franchise history) and a 3.78 ERA. But Willis will be remembered for his one truly dominant year in which he finished as the runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award behind Chris Carpenter. That year, Willis finished 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA. Not to mention, Dontrelle was the best hitting pitcher in franchise history. In fact, there were times when he’d be used as a pinch hitter. Now that’s embarrassing. But he finished his career with a .233 BA and 8 HR’s.
Keep an eye on…Ricky Nolasco and Josh Johnson. Johnson has been one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball and is truly dominating, and Nolasco has returned to last year’s form. Heck if they each stay one more season, they’d probably knock off Pavano for the #5 spot.
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