Miami Marlins: A look at the all-time best third-round draft picks
In honor of the Miami Dolphins not picking until the third round, it’s time to look at the best third round picks in Miami Marlins history.
No one ever said all the good players come in the first round, Miami Marlins fans.
Well, okay, maybe basketball fans say it. That’s a weird draft, that NBA one. That’s also a truism baseball fans don’t really need to be told, and Marlins fans in particular. A quick glance at the franchise’s Mt. Rushmore of hitters really only produces one first-round draftee, and the Marlins didn’t even make that pick themselves. Baseball’s draft won’t be taking place until July, as MLB is in year two of making the event part of All-Star week.
However, the NFL Draft is upon us, and accordingly the rest of the sporting world must take a backseat for a few days as Mel Kiper Jr. tells us why 255 or kids are going to difference-makers.
Alright, maybe the other leagues can keep going. Still, there’s no denying the NFL version of the draft is the most interesting, and it’s always a good time to start looking back on times that the first year player draft really came through for our other teams. Particularly when your football team really isn’t giving you much reason to pay attention to it. The Miami Dolphins entered this weekend not having a selection until the third round. The last time that happened, the Dolphins were still on their first successor to Dan Marino.
All of which leads us slowly and meanderingly to the big question: Just who were the best third-round draft picks in Miami Marlins history?
Before diving into this, I do need to give a brief shout out to Peyton Burdick and Zach McCambley. Miami’s respective 2019 and 2020 third-round selections, both of them have already flashed enough potential in the minors to give cause to believe that they could crack this list some day. As it is though, MLB production is the driving force in this ranking, not just more ephemeral notions like stuff and potential. If it was just about stuff, I’d be tempted to put McCambley on it already.
When it comes to that MLB production though, coming up with a Top 3 list of Miami Marlins third round picks was … actually quite easy. Only three players were really worthy of any kind of consideration. Fortunately, all three of those players are really good, and with the benefit of hindsight, were stellar draft day values.
Let’s dive in, starting with…
Best Miami Marlins Third-Rounder #3: Randy Winn
Just because he never played a game in a Miami Marlins uniform doesn’t mean he wasn’t good.
And Randy Winn was very good. His career 27.5 WAR might not sound like much, but it’s more than Marlins legends Jeff Conine, Cliff Floyd, and Mike Lowell produced in their careers. Just one of those consistently solid, reliable players MLB teams were thrilled to have.
Which makes it sting all the more that Miami let him go so easily.
To be fair, the Marlins had a lot going on in November of 1997. Celebrating a World Series championship. Detonating a roster in a massive fire sale, dumping prime veterans for fresh-faced prospects. Still, it has to go down as a big miss when Miami left Winn unprotected in the 1997 expansion draft. Winn was selected by the newly founded Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and would go on to hit .278 in 109 games that very next season. Seems like a useful player to me.
Of course, it’s not as if Miami had any plans on being competitive those next few years. No, where missing on Winn really stings is that stretch from 2002 to 2008 where he had one season batting worse than .286. Obviously things worked out just fine for the Marlins in 2003, but there are multiple seasons in that stretch where Miami could have really used some extra help in the outfield. Just not meant to be.
Winn was Miami’s third round pick in the 1995 MLB draft. He was the sixth player in that round, but the first player taken in that round to ever appear in the majors. Curiously enough, the player drafted right after him by the Texas Rangers would spend more time in Miami than he did: Ryan Dempster.
Best Miami Marlins Third-Rounder #2: Brian Anderson
Much more time in a Miami Marlins uniform by the draftee this time around.
Brian Anderson was drafted in the third round of the 2014 MLB Draft by Miami, proving that he made the right move in heading to college instead after being drafted in the 20th round out of high school by the Minnesota Twins. To call BA the best player taken in that particular third round would honestly be a bit of an understatement. BA currently sports a 9.1 career WAR. The 15 other players taken in that round to make an MLB appearance have a WAR of 0.7 combined.
As a member of the Miami Marlins, he’s been a bit more up and down. Anderson finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2018, and flirted with a 30-homer pace in 2019 and 2020. Then again, he’s missed significant time two of the past three seasons, and took a massive step back in 2021. He’s a massive defensive talent, and extremely versatile. But even that area of his game has looked spotty at times the past couple seasons. This 2022 season could well be make or break for how long he remains in that Marlins uniform.
Personally, I’m rooting for him to stick, and to be able to be the longest tenured Marlin on this list by the end of the season. Which brings us to…
Best Miami Marlins Third-Rounder #1: J.T. Realmuto
Saved the best for last, Miami Marlins fans.
If it makes you feel any better, you can make a pretty good case he’s not even a top three catcher in Miami Marlins history. On the other hand, he’s one of the best catchers to debut in MLB this century, and is arguably the most well-rounded backstop playing today. It’s all a matter of perspective.
Okay, no perspective needed. J.T. Realmuto is just awesome at baseball, and an incredible athlete. Keep in mind that when the Miami Marlins picked him with the 22nd selection of the third round of the 2010 draft, they drafted him as a shortstop. Miami turned him into a catcher, as part of the need to find a solution to the long, sad history of trying to produce any kind of answer at baseball’s most elusive position. The Fish had had just one decent season there since 2005, and many disappointing catcher prospects.
Which made it all the more incredible when Realmuto ripped the starting job right out of the hands of the overrated and overpaid Jarrod Saltalamacchia just a few weeks into the 2015 season. J.T. never looked back. His only Marlins appearance as an All-Star came in 2018, the first year of the most recent rebuild. However, so much of that has to do with other players on the roster and what market one is in. Realmuto was playing at an All-Star level since 2016.
Unfortunately, Realmuto had no interest in being part of that rebuild, and Miami was forced to trade him. Thus far, the overall return has not been great, and Marlins fans have to be content with the fact that J.T. has started to show signs of decline since signing that long-term deal with Philadelphia. He’s still great though, and just as tough an at bat as ever.
Next. Will Don Mattingly Finish Year With Miami Marlins?. dark
You’d be hard pressed to find a better value the Miami Marlins ever came across in round 3 of the draft. Here’s hoping the Miami Dolphins find themselves saying the same thing about Channing Tindall.