Greatest Miami (Florida) Marlins in their History

I am continuing my list for the greatest players at each position in the last 50 years for each team. Today’s team is the Miami (Florida) Marlins

The criteria are as follows:

- Player must have played a full 5 seasons for the team.

-1 player will be selected for each position, 1 right handed starting pitcher, 1 left handed starting pitcher, and 1 relief pitcher. I will include a DH for both leagues (considering interleague play now).

 Below is my list of greatest players by position for the Marlins in their history (first season was 1993).

First Base- Derrek Lee

Second Base- Luis Castillo

Shortstop-   Hanley Ramirez

Third Base-   Mike Lowell

Left Field-    Cliff Floyd

Centerfield-    Marcell Ozuna

Right Field- Giancarlo Stanton

Catcher- Charles Johnson

Designated Hitter- Miguel Cabrera

Right-Handed starting pitcher- Josh Beckett       

Left-Handed starting pitcher- Dontrelle Willis

Relief pitcher- Rob Nenn



A couple of notes. The Marlins have had a lot of players who started out with them and went on to greater things with other teams.  Most of the selections were straight forward. Cabrera played both third base and left field with the Marlins. I put him at DH so both Floyd and Lowell can make the list. CF was the most challenging position to select. Ozuna was the best of an average group where the only other consideration was Cody Ross. Juan Pierre is the best CF the Marlins ever had but he only played 4 yrs for them.



Next up is the New York Mets

The Greatest Atlanta Braves Players in the Last 50 Years

I am continuing my list for the greatest players at each position in the last 50 years for each team. Today’s team is the Atlanta Braves.

The criteria are as follows:

- Player must have played a full 5 seasons for the team.

-1 player will be selected for each position, 1 right-handed starting pitcher, 1 left-handed starting pitcher, and 1 relief pitcher. I will include a DH for both leagues (considering interleague play now).

Below is my list of greatest players by position for the Braves in the last 50 years (since the 1970 season)

First Base- Freddie Freeman

Second Base- Mark Lemke

Shortstop-   Rafael Furcal

Third Base- Terry Pendleton

Left Field-    Chipper Jones

Centerfield-   Andruw Jones

Right Field- Dale Murphy

Catcher- Javy Lopez

Designated Hitter- Hank Aaron

Right-Handed starting pitcher- Greg Maddox

Left-Handed starting pitcher- Tom Glavine

Relief pitcher- John Smoltz


A couple of notes. This was one of the most challenging lists to put together. The Braves have many Hall of Famers, MVPs, and Cy Young award winners. I maneuvered a few players to their secondary positions to put together the best lineup. Moved Hall of Famer Chipper Jones from 3B to LF to get Terry Pendleton at 3B. Pendleton was a batting champion and won the NL MVP with the Braves. Moving Chipper Jones to LF was an easy decision since there were not many good options. Ryan Klesko and Lonnie Smith were the other choices. I moved 2-time MVP Dale Murphy to RF to get Andruw Jones in CF. Although Hank Aaron was toward the end of his career, he still was a key contributor, hitting 170 home runs from 1970-1974. He deserved the DH. For the pitchers, I had to get all the “big 3" from the 90s. For RHP, I picked Maddux over another Hall of Famer, Phil Niekro.


Next up is the Miami Marlins.

The Greatest Texas Rangers in their History

THE GREATEST PLAYERS BY POSITION FOR EACH TEAM IN THE LAST 50 YEARS.

I am continuing my list for the greatest players at each position in the last 50 years for each team. Today’s team is the Texas Rangers.

The criteria are as follows:

- Player must have played a full 5 seasons for the team.

-1 player will be selected for each position, 1 right handed starting pitcher, 1 left handed starting pitcher, and 1 relief pitcher. I will include a DH for both leagues (considering interleague play now).

Below is my list of greatest players by position for the Rangers in their history (first season was 1972).

First Base- Rafael Palmero

Second Base- Ian Kinsler

Shortstop-   Michael Young

Third Base-   Adrian Beltran

Left Field-    Rusty Greer

Centerfield-    Josh Hamilton

Right Field- Juan Gonzalez

Catcher- Ivan Rodriguez

Designated Hitter- Nelson Cruz

Right-Handed starting pitcher- Fergie Jenkins

Left-Handed starting pitcher- Kenny Rogers

Relief pitcher- Francisco Cordero



A couple of notes.  This list is straight forward.  Not many positions where there was a question. Alex Rodriguez did not meet the 5 year criteria. He only played 3 seasons with the Rangers. There were not many good options in left field. Other than Greer, the only other consideration was Pete Incaviglia. For right-handed pitcher, Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan was considered, but he was at the end of his career. I went with another Hall of Famer, Fergie Jenkins, who had some terrific seasons in his 6 years with Texas (winning 25 games once).



This ends the American League. On to the National League. Next up is the Atlanta Braves.

The Greatest Seattle Mariners players in their History

I am continuing my list for the greatest players at each position for every team in the last 50 years for each team. Today’s team is the Seattle Mariners

The criteria are as follows:

- Player must have played a full 5 seasons for the team.

-1 player will be selected for each position, 1 right handed starting pitcher, 1 left handed starting pitcher, and 1 relief pitcher. I will include a DH for both leagues (considering interleague play now).

 Below is my list of greatest players by position for the Mariners in their history (first season was 1977).

First Base- Alvin Davis

Second Base- Bret Boone

Shortstop-   Alex Rodriguez

Third Base-   Kyle Seager

Left Field-    Raul Ibanez

Centerfield-   Ken Griffey Jr

Right Field- Icharo Suzuki

Catcher- Dan Wilson

Designated Hitter-   Edgar Martinez

Right-Handed starting pitcher- Felix Hernandez

Left-Handed starting pitcher- Randy Johnson

Relief pitcher- JJ Putz



A couple of notes.  The Mariners had some great players in their history. Consider in the late 90s, they had ARod, Ken Griffey Jr, and Randy Johnson on the same team in their prime. And no championship to show for it.  Some decisions in picking this list were easy, but there were a few difficult positions to select. At first base, John Olerud would have been the clear choice, but he didn’t play 5 full seasons for the Mariners. Davis was the best selection (and probably the best player the Mariners had in the first 15 years of the team’s existence). Third base was another tough position to select. Long time Mariner Seager was the best of an average group of players to play the position.



Next up is the Texas Rangers