The Best All-Stars in Marlins History, Part 1

With the annual All-Star Game on deck, Ted and I thought it would be fun to look back at every All-Star in franchise history and sort the wheat from the chaff. The Marlins have benefited from MLB's rule that every team must be represented at the midsummer classic, as you'll see below. Indeed, it is a double-edged sword: it allows fans of bad teams to have at least a little rooting interest in the game, but it also results in some very undeserving All-Star selections. Today we will look at the bottom half of the ledger, with the top half coming Tuesday.

For purposes of ranking, we looked at each players Wins Above Replacement (as calculated by Baseball Reference and either ERA+ (for pitchers) or OPS+ (for position players). We excluded Jose Fernandez, as he only has half a season of stats to compare, and did not account for any pre-/post-ASG split (because that would have taken more time than we were willing to invest). Incidentally, Fernandez already has more WAR than the bottom 6 players on the list (2.5), and should he continue his hot play could easily catapult into the top half of this list.

Onto the rankings, beginning with the Thanks for Showing Up division (* denotes ASG starter):

39. Alex Gonzalez, 1999 (0.7 WAR, 91 OPS+): Someone had to go in 1999, and it was Gonzalez. He didn't have a terrible year, but his .277 batting average was complemented by only 15 walks in 591 plate appearances.
38. Edgar Renteria, 1998 (0.9 WAR, 88 OPS+): See above. El Niño led the NL by getting caught stealing 22 times.
37. Gaby Sanchez, 2011 (2.7 WAR, 113 OPS+): Gaby wasn't that bad in 2011, but in hindsight Giancarlo Stanton (4.1 WAR, 141 OPS+) would have been a better choice. Sanchez hit .293 in the first half of the season, then took a major nosedive, hitting .225 in the second half.

Next up, the Good Thing Your Position is Not That Deep division:

36. Paul Lo Duca, 2005 (1.2 WAR, 92 OPS+): Look, no one expects a catcher to do that much on offense. But you do have to do something on defense every once in awhile. Lo Duca was third in the NL with 29 runners caught stealing, but also gave up the most stolen bases (89 - for a CS% of 24.6%).
35. Luis Castillo, 2002 (2.0 WAR, 95 OPS+): Castillo led the NL with 48 stolen bases, but got caught 15 times, second most in the league. He was solid on defense, and hit .301.
34. Charles Johnson, 2001 (2.4 WAR, 100 OPS+): CJ threw out 37 would-be base stealers (5th in the NL), but was the epitome of average at the plate.

Now let's pause and consider that democracy is not always the optimal decision-making mechanism. This is the Fan Votes are Flawed division:

33. Gary Sheffield*, 1993 (-0.1 WAR, 120 OPS+): Acquired in a late-June trade with the Padres, Sheffield was voted in by fans as a starter, even though he probably did not deserve it. His terrible defense (-3.0 dWAR) outdid a so-so offensive year (2.9 oWAR). His 34 errors were third in the NL. On the plus side, Sheffield went 2 for 3 with a home run in the game, so at least he acquitted himself nicely.
32. Hanley Ramirez*, 2010 (2.7 WAR, 126 WAR): Not that we didn't love watching Ramirez start in the All-Star Game for the third straight season, but this selection was based largely on his reputation (having won the batting title the previous season). He hit .300 in 2010, but in hindsight this season was the beginning of his decline into a very undistinguished hitter (though he has been very hot thus far in 2013).

Our next category is the Franchise Hero division, featuring two players who can do no wrong:

31. Jeff Conine, 1994 (2.8 WAR, 130 OPS+): Conine had a better year in 1994 than his other All-Star season, but he didn't win MVP in the 1994 game, so that knocks him down a few pegs.
30. Mike Lowell, 2002 (3.0 WAR, 116 OPS+): Lowell was better in 2003, but
29. Lowell, 2003 (2.7 WAR, 128 OPS+): Lowell had his best season with the Marlins in 2003, hitting a career-high 32 home runs despite missing the last month of the season with a broken hand. He also won the NL Silver Slugger for third-basemen.
28. Conine, 1995 (2.6 WAR, 135 OPS+): Not the most distinguished season, but Conine did win ASG MVP thanks to his decisive home run. 

These guys all had better All-Star years, but were still clearly deserving of the honor. It's the Better Seasons in the Portfolio division:

27. Dan Uggla, 2006 (3.0 WAR, 112 OPS+): He had better years to come, but 27 HR and .480 slugging as a rookie is nothing to be ashamed of. Uggla finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting, behind teammate and winner Hanley Ramirez and Ryan Zimmerman of Washington.
26. Miguel Cabrera, 2007 (3.2 WAR, 150 OPS+): His last All-Star year with the Marlins was his worst, but he still hit 34 home runs with a .965 OPS.
25. Cabrera, 2004 (3.4 WAR, 150 OPS+): 33 home runs, 112 RBI in his first full season in the majors. Yeah, he was pretty good.
24. Castillo, 2005 (3.6 WAR, 108 OPS+): Castillo won his third straight NL Gold Glove, hitting above .300 for the fifth time in seven seasons.
23. Dontrelle Willis, 2003 (3.9 WAR, 127 ERA+): The Rookie of the Year and folk hero of the 2003 World Series team, Willis could do no wrong. 

These two appeared in the midsummer classic during their only year with the team, making them the One-Year Wonder division:

22. Armando Benitez, 2004 (3.4 WAR, 319 ERA+): Led the NL with 47 saves, and had a crazy-outlier .176 BABIP. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good (and even better to be both).
21. Moises Alou, 1997 (3.5 WAR, 130 OPS+): Alou slashed .292/.373/.493 en route to a World Series title. Sheffield was arguably better among his teammates, but he did not make the All-Star team.

Rounding out the first part is the One-Timers' Club, both of whom made one All-Star appearance as Marlins (though both made additional appearances with other teams):

20. Ryan Dempster, 2000 (4.2 WAR, 121 ERA+): Hard to remember, but Dempster was once the ace of the Marlins' staff (shudders). He had 8.3 K/9IP, but benefitted largely from having no other good All-Star candidates on the team that year.
19. Bryan Harvey, 1993 (4.0 WAR, 257 ERA+): Harvey was third in the NL with 45 saves for the expansion Marlins, helped by a career-low .240 BABIP. His 0.841 WHIP was absurd.

Click here to read Part 2.

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So Long, Gary

Another child of the Marlins diaspora has left the game, as Gary Sheffield announced his retirement yesterday. He is the only former Marlin that has hit 500 home runs, yet will probably not make the Hall of Fame due to allegations of PED use and his difficulties getting along with the media. That's too bad, because he could have plausibly been the first man with a Marlins hat on his plaque in Cooperstown. Sheffield still holds the club record for home runs in a season (42 in 1996), and as we wrote two years ago, "He pretty much tripled the Marlins' legitimacy when he was traded to the team during the inaugural year."

Craig Calcaterra said it best:

He didn’t lead the league in anything too many times and was never an MVP, but he had many seasons that, had they earned him the MVP, wouldn’t have been embarrassing to the award.  Many of those seasons came before there was general acceptance of just how awesome it was to get on base at a .450 clip so he was under the radar while everyone was oohing and ahhing the big RBI men.  He did a lot of things well rather than just one thing and had a lot of excellent seasons rather than one standalone boffo one and that's usually a recipe for being underestimated.

At the very least, Sheffield should be the first former Marlin to have his number retired. Here's hoping the team acts on that idea soon.

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Children of the Marlins Diaspora 13

Trevor Hoffman, P

Played for Marlins: 1993
Other Teams: San Diego (1993-2008), Milwaukee (2009-2010)
Marlins fans know him because: The Marlins selected Hoffman with the eighth pick in the 1992 expansion draft from the Cincinnati Reds, for whom Hoffman played two years in the minor leagues. Hoffman spent the first part of 1993 as a setup man for Bryan Harvey, amassing 2 saves in just over 35 innings before being traded to San Diego for star third baseman (and future child of the diaspora) Gary Sheffield. Also included in that trade were Rich Rodriguez (sent to Florida), Andres Berumen and Jose Martinez. Being that his trade came in 1993, this makes him the very first child of the Marlins diaspora.
Everyone else knows him because: Hoffman quietly became one of the greatest closers in MLB history, amassing a record 601 saves before announcing his retirement this week. It remains to be seen whether Hall of Fame voters will deem him worthy of inclusion, but that's a lot of saves, and Hoffman had one of the all-time great changeups. Additionally, Hoffman was a 7-time All Star, finished second in Cy Young voting twice (1998 and 2006), and has the 5th best K/9 in MLB history (9.36, just above Sandy Koufax).
Best Marlins moment: Hoffman's greatest contribution to the Marlins was being traded for Sheffield. Sure, the Marlins lost out on a pivotal relief pitcher, but in exchange got 4 years of a premier power bat and possible future Hall of Famer. For that, we owe him thanks.

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Retiring Numbers

Camden Yards via wallyg's flickrstream

Playing in their 18th season of baseball, the Marlins have accumulated some history, but have yet to commemorate some historic milestones.¹ At some point in the not too distant future the Marlins will have to retire a number (The team retired the number 5 for Carl Barger on Opening Day 1993, but that doesn't really count since it was for a nonplayer). Who will the first former Marlin to receive that distinction? Some thoughts below, in order of likelihood.

Gary Sheffield (not playing, but not officially retired): Sheffield was a mainstay for the first 5 years of the team's existence, holds some team single-season records, started for the 1997 World Series club, and could end up in the Hall of Fame. He's probably the most deserving member of this list at the moment.
Mike Lowell (currently playing for Boston): Lowell was a key member of the infield core from 2000 to 2005, starting for the 2003 World Series club. He is currently the Marlins career home run leader, and wins sentimentality points for having grown up in South Florida.
Jeff Conine (retired): Despite his status as Mr. Marlin, Conine's career stats are not the kind that normally get your number retired. However, his status as a team icon, role in both World Series teams, and current role as a special instructor in the Marlins organization might make up for his stats. He also has the complication of wearing two numbers during his time with the club.

You'll notice I did not list anyone unlikely to retire soon. My guess is that someone's number will be retired shortly after the new stadium opens in 2012. It's a wild guess, but a necessary one for the purposes of this exercise.


¹For our purposes here, historic milestones include (but are not limited to): anniversaries of championships, retired numbers, and breaking of team/league records. In short, these are the things that remind us this team has been around for awhile. They are the edifice of permanence.

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Children of the Marlins Diaspora 6

Gary Sheffield, 3B, OF

Played for the Marlins: 1993-1998
Other Teams: Milwaukee (198-1993), San Diego (199-1993), Los Angeles (1998-2001), Atlanta (2002-2003), Yankees (2004-2006), Detroit (2007-2008), Mets (2009-)
Marlins fans know him because: He pretty much tripled the Marlins' legitimacy when he was traded to the team during the inaugural year. Sheffield was the team's first star, and played on the 1997 World Series team. He also holds the team single-season home run record, hitting 42 in 1996. Sheffield was traded to the Dodgers in the infamous Mike Piazza trade.
Everyone else knows him because: He has one of the most violent swings in baseball history. Sheff hit his 500th career home run last night, and we congratulate him. Implicated in the BALCO scandal, Sheffield was also not afraid to say that he was under more scrutiny than Mark McGwire because he was black, which ruffled some feathers. Sheffield was also a 9-time All Star and 1992 NL batting champ.
Best Marlins moment: I had a hard time thinking of a single moment, until Ted reminded me of Sheffield's game-saving catch off of Sandy Alomar in Game 5 of the 1997 World Series. Gary had a good series, going 7 for 24 with 8 walks, one home run, 5 RBI, and a .943 OPS in 7 games.

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