Miami catering The 5 Best Pitchers to Ever Wear a Marlins Uniform

The Marlins franchise has become synonymous with its expert status in the field of developing fine, young talent and then trading it away to other teams in exchange for more youth. This strategy isn't necessarily by choice, as poor ticket sales prevent the team from having the ability to sign big names.

Somehow, the Marlins have come away with two World Series championships in their 16 years of existence. Once in 1997, and again in 2003. Much of their success has resulted from great young pitching, and the following article will list the top five players to have ever pitched for the franchise.

5. Carl Pavano - You gotta love it when a guy who plays on a team for only two seasons can be considered one of the top pitchers in their team's history. That's right, Pavano played with the Marlins during the 2003-2004 seasons before bolting for a big contract with the Yankees. Unfortunately for the Yankees, he's turned out to be a major bust, but his best season by far came just before he left. A career .500 pitcher with an ERA nearing 4.50, Pavano had an extremely good season in 2004, in which he went 18-8 with an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.17. He also happened to hit 2 HR's that year, if that means anything. Pavano finished his stint with the Marlins with a 33-23 record and a 3.64 ERA, which is good for 5th on the Marlins best pitchers of all-time.

4. A.J. Burnett - Burnett was actually a member of the Marlins for seven seasons, although a number of injuries makes his numbers a bit lower than you'd think. In his seven seasons, Burnett never won more than 12 games with the Marlins, and finished his career with the Marlins with a 49-50 record. Burnett's best year came back in 2002, when he finished 12-9 with a 3.30 ERA. That year, he threw 204 innings and struck out 203 while only allowing 153 hits, finishing with a BAA of .209. Burnett has always had nasty stuff; unfortunately injuries have prevented him from making more starts and truly showing what he's got.

3. Kevin Brown - Kevin Brown had two of the best pitching season in Florida Marlins history. While he only spent two short years in a Marlins uniform, any fans of the team will certainly remember how valuable his contributions were to the franchise. Take his first season as a Marlin, for example. A 1.89 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP happen so rarely in baseball that they're usually paired with a Cy Young award. Brown most definitely had a dominant reign as a Marlin during his two short years spent with the team.

2. Josh Beckett - Now a pitcher with the Boston Red Sox and an All-Star a few times over, Beckett is most well known for his heroics as a Marlin during the 2003 World Series against the Yankees. During the 2003 playoffs, Beckett had an incredible 2.11 ERA, and is largely responsible for the Florida World Series win that season. As a Marlin, Beckett averaged nearly a strikeout per inning, fanning 607 batters in 609 innings pitched, and allowing just 529 hits during his time with the team, well below one per inning.

1. Dontrelle Willis - Geez, what's happened to Dontrelle? Ever since he left the Marlins, he's been terrible. But for purposes of this list, he's the #1 pitcher in Florida Marlins history. His longevity (he's made 162 starts, 31 more than the next closest), and his personality have made him a fan favorite down here in Miami. Dontrelle finished his career with the Marlins with a 68-54 record (more wins than anybody in franchise history) and a 3.78 ERA. But Willis will be remembered for his one truly dominant year in which he finished as the runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award behind Chris Carpenter. That year, Willis finished 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA. Not to mention, Dontrelle was the best hitting pitcher in franchise history. In fact, there were times when he'd be used as a pinch hitter. Now that's embarrassing. But he finished his career with a .233 BA and 8 HR's.

Keep an eye on...Ricky Nolasco and Josh Johnson. Johnson has been one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball and is truly dominating, and Nolasco has returned to last year's form. Heck if they each stay one more season, they'd probably knock off Pavano for the #5 spot.

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