Florida Marlins All-Time Team: Pitching Staff

Marlins Insider is proud to bring you our All-Time Florida Marlins Roster. In this installment we will cover the pitchers that we feel deserve the distinction of being considered the greatest ever to wear the black and teal.

Starting Rotation

Kevin Brown

Highlights
Kevin Brown is arguably the most talented and accomplished pitcher ever to wear a Marlins uniform. His two seasons with the Marlins are the two lowest ERA seasons ever by a Marlins pitcher. His 17 wins in 1996 is tied for the most ever in a single season by a Marlin. Brown is at, or near the top of almost every single season Marlins record. In fact, on most single-season record lists his two individual seasons with the Marlins fall in the top 2 or 3 overall.

Brown also pitched what was the best ever single game performance by a Marlins pitcher when on June 10, 1997 when his no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants was only one hits batsman from being a perfect game.

Statistics:

Years	Team	G	GS	IP	W	L	CG	H	BB	SO	ERA
’96-‘97	Florida	55	55	470.1	33	19	11	401	99	364	2.29

Al Leiter

Highlights
Like Brown, Leiter spent only two seasons in Marlins teal but those two seasons were two of the best turned in by any Marlins pitcher. Leiter threw the first no hitter in Marlins history on May 11, 1996 against the Colorado Rockies.

Statistics

Years	Team	G	GS	IP	W	L	CG	H	BB	SO	ERA
’96-‘97	Florida	60	60	366.2	27	21	2	286	210	332	3.51

Josh Beckett

Highlights
Josh Beckett has still not had an injury-free complete season in three years with the Marlins. He still has not pitched more than 150 innings in a season and has still not won more than 10 games. However, his 2003 performance down the playoff stretch and in the post-season was one of the most impressive two months that any Marlins pitcher has ever had. His performance in the 2003 World Series was one that showed the immense talent and potential. Many expect that his 2004 season will put himself up at the top of almost every Marlins single season record.

Statistics

Years	Team	G	GS	IP	W	L	CG	H	BB	SO	ERA
’01-‘03	Florida	17	17	273.2	17	17	0	239	111	289	3.33

Livan Hernandez

Highlights
The young Cuban grabbed the hearts of the baseball world with his tremendous performance in the 1997 post-season when Livan captured the MVP award of both the NLCS and the World Series. His emotionally driven performance in front of his mother, a resident of Cuba who was granted permission to watch her son pitch live, was the best feel-good story of the 1997 season.

Statistics

Years	Team	G	GS	IP	W	L	SV	H	BB	SO	ERA
’96-‘99	Florida	70	70	469.2	24	24	11	485	199	333	4.50

Brad Penny

Highlights
Despite his talent, before the 2003 World Series Brad Penny has not had a distinguished career in the major leagues. His career was defined by unfulfilled potential. The fact still remains that Penny is second on most of the Marlins career pitching records and will break most of them early in the 2004 season. After his breakout performance in the 2003 World Series, Marlins fans are hoping that Penny will finally breakthrough on his talent.

Statistics

Years	Team	G	GS	IP	W	L	SV	H	BB	SO	ERA
’00-’03	Florida	110	109	650.1	40	34	2	646	220	465	4.22

Bullpen Staff

Bryan Harvey

Highlights
During his days with the Marlins, the Marlins didn’t have a lot of games needed to be saved but when they did, Bryan Harvey was as close to automatic as they come. Harvey was considered one of the top closers of his day and he was nominated as one of the Marlins first All-Stars in 1993. His 45 saves in 1993 is tied as the Marlins single season save record. Despite having his career cut short with injuries, Harvey is still 3rd on the Marlins all-time save list.

Statistics

Years	Team	G	GS	IP	W	L	SV	H	BB	SO	ERA
’93-‘95	Florida	64	0	79.1	1	5	51	59	18	83	2.50

Antonio Alfonseca

Highlights
The "Dragon Slayer" was one of the most distinctive and popular Marlins during his days with the team. He is tied with Bryan Harvey for the Marlins single season record of 45 saves he had in the 2000 season. His 102 saves as a Marlin puts him second on their all-time list.

Statistics

Years	Team	G	GS	IP	W	L	SV	H	BB	SO	ERA
’97-‘01	Florida	274	0	305.2	18	24	102	340	111	198	3.77

Braden Looper

Highlights
Acquired as part of the Edgar Renteria deal, Looper had just as much talent as any Marlins closer. Inconsistency marked his career in Florida but he still had a season in 2003 that ranks as one of the best ever by a Marlins closer. His strikeout of Aaron Boone in the 8th inning of Game 5 was probably one of the most important and under-appreciated moments of the World Series.

Years	Team	G	GS	IP	W	L	SV	H	BB	SO	ERA
’99-‘03	Florida	368	0	388.0	19	16	46	385	154	242	3.68

Rob Nen

Highlights
Nen, the closer of the 1997 Championship team is also the Marlins all-time saves leader. Outside of Bryan Harvey is was probably the most feared and accomplished Marlins closer. Probably the hardest thrower ever to wear a Marlins uniform, Nen’s early career was defined by poor control. Once he harnessed in his talents he became one of the best in the game.

Statistics

Years	Team	G	GS	IP	W	L	SV	H	BB	SO	ERA
’93-‘97	Florida	269	1	314	20	16	108	282	121	328	3.41

Reserve Pitcher

Ryan Dempster

Highlights
Dempster is the Marlins all-time leader in wins and strikeouts. His 2001 season was one of the best ever by a Marlins starter. He is also the single season strikeouts leader with his 209 strikeouts in 2000. If he hadn’t developed a bad elbow that led the Marlins to deal him, he would’ve been a mainstay in the Marlins rotation for many years.

Statistics

Year	Team	G	GS	IP	W	L	SV	H	BB	SO	ERA
’98-‘01	Florida	114	110	659.1	42	43	7	772	395	628	5.35

Honorable Mention

Starters
Alex Fernandez
A.J. Burnett
Dontrelle Willis
John Burkett
Charlie Hough

Relievers
Trevor Hoffman
Matt Mantei
Dennis Cook
Chris Hammond