All Marlins team, position players

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While it seems like Carpetbaggers would seen like a more appropriate name than Marlins, the franchise has managed to win two world series while selling off excellent players and bilking fans. Marlins fans have definite reasons to be upset about ownership, still they have had some great players to cheer for, though ever so briefly. And here we go.

Catcher: J. T. Realmuto Realmuto has spent a little over three seasons with the Marlins. He's getting really good, so that means he'll be making really good money soon so he'll soon be leaving Miami. J. T. put up a WAR 3.6 in 2017, building on a nice 2016 season where his WAR was 2.6. J. T. does it with a nice balance of bat and glove. Marlins fans, enjoy him while you can. J. T. edges out Charles Johnson who was decent for 7 seasons. Pudge Rodriguez gets mention by virtue of a WAR of 4.5 during the Marlins 2003 championship run.

First base: Derek Lee Before Derek broke out with the Cubs he was pretty solid with the Marlins for 4 seasons. From 200-03, Derek hit 20+ homers and put up an OPS of between .820 and .888. His overall WAR is suppressed by poor defense metrics, which I find odd. I thought he was pretty good with the glove when he was with then Cubs. Current first baseman, Justin Bour, has some upside and and might be cheap enough to put some numbers up for a few more seasons in Miami.

Second base: Dan Uggla I went with Uggla over Luis Castilla in a close call. Uggla was a power hitting second baseman who hit 154 homers in 5 seasons with the Marlins. His defense was less than stellar. Still, a WAR of 15.3 for 5 seasons is pretty impressive. Castillo had a 10 year run with the Marlins and put up a WAR of 22.3. He used a different formula than Uggla, relying on speed, twice leading the NL in stolen bases. An OBP of .370 was also a useful skill. Dee Gordon had a couple of nice seasons with the Marlins, but like so many players before him was sent packing.

Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez While Ramirez wasn't great with the glove, he swung a serious stick in his 7 seasons with the Marlins. Hanley's best season was 2009 when he led the NL in hitting with an average of .342. He finished second in MVP voting that season. Ramirez was a three time all star with the Marlins and put up a WAR of 26.8. His WAR for 2009 alone was 7.6. In 2008 it was 6.7. Hanley Ramirez, an easy choice at shortstop.

Third base: Miguel Cabrera Miguel came up in the later part of 2003, in plenty of time to disappoint Cubs fans in the NLCS. Cabrera stayed with the Marlins through the 2007, putting up a WAR of 18.2. He was a four time all star. Miguel played at a variety of defensive positions, excelling at none. It really didn't matter. His bat played everywhere. He hit .313 with an OPS of .929 in his stay with the Marlins. Mike Lowell also gets a shout out for his 7 seasons with the Marlins. Mike hit 20+ home runs in four of those seasons. Mike played a generally good third base and put together an OPS of .801. He also won a gold glove in 2005. Mike was good, but Miguel has to be on this team somewhere.

Left field: Christian Yelich Christian gets the decision over Jeff Conine. Yelich has been with the Marlins four seasons and his getting better as he goes, adding an element of power in 2016 and 2017 with 21 and 18 homers. Jeff Conine actually had a slightly better OPS in his time with the Marlins with a mark of .813 in seven seasons compared to Yelich's .800 in 5 seasons. Yelich is helped by better defense in left. He's stretched a bit in center. Yelich's WAR of 5.3 in 2016 and 3.9 in 2017 could be even better in the years to come. Of course, where he'll be in those seasons is debatable. Moises Alou gets a mention based on his 1997 when he drove in 115 runs.

Center field: Marcell Ozuna Ozuna followed a path all to familiar to Marlins fans. He was a young player hitting his peak, who was then traded. Ozuna had a huge year in 2017, hitting .312 with 37 homers and 124 RBIs while playing a decent center field. That resulted in a WAR of 5.8. The Cardinals can now enjoy him. In all, Ozuna spent 5 seasons with the Marlins, compiling an overall WAR of 13.7. The tools have always been there, it looks like he's starting to put them to good use. Juan Pierre gets a mention here also. Pierre parlayed good speed and a high batting average into a decent run with the Marlins. Those assets offset a total lack of power and throwing ability. Juan was a member of the Marlins 2003 championship team. For his time in Miami, Juan hit .295 and had an OBP .345. Not terrible, but it should have been higher given his other serious deficiencies.

Right field: Giancarlo Stanton After being an excellent player for 7 seasons, Giancarlo put it all together in 2017 and put up a monster season. Stanton led the NL in home runs with 59 and RBIs with 132. He also led the league in slugging percentage with a mark of .631. As a result of all that production, Giancarlo was named the NL's MVP. For his 8 seasons with the Marlins, Giancarlo recorded a WAR of 29.8. He led the league in slugging three times while doing a nice job in right field. The four time all star was so good, the Marlins traded him to the Yankees this winter. Gary Sheffield also gets a shoutout. Gary spent all or parts of six seasons with the Marlins, putting up an OPS of .972. Gary played left, right and third, though none of them well. Still, as was his custom, he outhit his defensive mistakes. He was also a member of the world series winning 1997 Marlins team.

So there you have it, my all Marlins team. They have perhaps the most up and down history of any MLB team since 1965. The state of Florida may or may not be able to support a team. It's hard to say since both the Marlins and Rays are notoriously ran on the cheap. Maybe it's some kind of Florida state law.

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