Best draft picks in Miami Marlins history

The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever.

These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country.

Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the best draft picks nationally were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections.

There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers.

Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are "slightly more likely" than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally.

To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft picks in Miami Marlins history using data from Baseball Reference. The players were ranked using career wins above replacement, so not one recent choice was named. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024.

#25. Nate Robertson
- Draft: 146th overall pick in 1999
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 223
- Career stats: 57 wins, 5.01 earned run average, 1.47 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 4.2

#24. Dan Jennings
- Draft: 268th overall pick in 2008
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 390
- Career stats: 17 wins, 3.1 earned run average, 1.43 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 4.6

#23. Austin Nola
- Draft: 167th overall pick in 2012
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 345
- Career stats: 24 home runs, .249 batting average, .696 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 5.0

#22. Braxton Garrett
- Draft: 7th overall pick in 2016
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 62
- Career stats: 16 wins, 3.91 earned run average, 1.26 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 5.5

#21. Josh Naylor
- Draft: 12th overall pick in 2015
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 503
- Career stats: 69 home runs, .265 batting average, .770 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 5.7

#20. Michael King
- Draft: 353rd overall pick in 2016
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 128
- Career stats: 17 wins, 3.48 earned run average, 1.20 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 6.2

#19. AJ Ramos
- Draft: 638th overall pick in 2009
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 381
- Career stats: 17 wins, 3.04 earned run average, 1.27 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 6.4

#18. Brad Hand
- Draft: 52nd overall pick in 2008
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 579
- Career stats: 40 wins, 3.75 earned run average, 1.26 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 7.6

#17. Andrew Heaney
- Draft: 9th overall pick in 2012
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 183
- Career stats: 48 wins, 4.46 earned run average, 1.27 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 7.8

#16. Trevor Williams
- Draft: 44th overall pick in 2013
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 200
- Career stats: 49 wins, 4.34 earned run average, 1.37 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 8.1

#15. Brian Anderson
- Draft: 76th overall pick in 2014
- Position: Second baseman
- Games played: 627
- Career stats: 66 home runs, .252 batting average, .740 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 10.0

#14. Steve Cishek
- Draft: 166th overall pick in 2007
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 737
- Career stats: 33 wins, 2.98 earned run average, 1.20 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 13.4

#13. José Fernández
- Draft: 14th overall pick in 2011
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 76
- Career stats: 38 wins, 2.58 earned run average, 1.05 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 14.2

#12. Mark Canha
- Draft: 227th overall pick in 2010
- Position: Right fielder
- Games played: 979
- Career stats: 119 home runs, .250 batting average, .770 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 15.6

#11. Jason Vargas
- Draft: 68th overall pick in 2004
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 298
- Career stats: 99 wins, 4.29 earned run average, 1.32 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 16.9

#10. Josh Willingham
- Draft: 491st overall pick in 2000
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,147
- Career stats: 195 home runs, .253 batting average, .823 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 18.9

#9. Mark Kotsay
- Draft: 9th overall pick in 1996
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,914
- Career stats: 127 home runs, .276 batting average, .737 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 21.3

#8. Charles Johnson
- Draft: 28th overall pick in 1992
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,188
- Career stats: 167 home runs, .245 batting average, .762 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 22.6

#7. Josh Johnson
- Draft: 113th overall pick in 2002
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 170
- Career stats: 58 wins, 3.4 earned run average, 1.27 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 24.3

#6. Randy Winn
- Draft: 65th overall pick in 1995
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,717
- Career stats: 110 home runs, .284 batting average, .759 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 27.5

#5. J.T. Realmuto
- Draft: 104th overall pick in 2010
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,189
- Career stats: 161 home runs, .272 batting average, .783 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 34.8

#4. Josh Beckett
- Draft: 2nd overall pick in 1999
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 335
- Career stats: 138 wins, 3.88 earned run average, 1.23 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 35.7

#3. Christian Yelich
- Draft: 23rd overall pick in 2010
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,428
- Career stats: 199 home runs, .287 batting average, .842 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 41.0

#2. Adrián González
- Draft: 1st overall pick in 2000
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,929
- Career stats: 317 home runs, .287 batting average, .843 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 43.5

#1. Giancarlo Stanton
- Draft: 76th overall pick in 2007
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,589
- Career stats: 417 home runs, .258 batting average, .874 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 44.3

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 30 MLB teams.