The Miami Marlins had their first season in the Majors in 1993, but they selected their first-round pick in 1992 with the selection of catcher Charles Johnson.
Since then, the Marlins have had at least one first-round pick each season. Some of those picks have become successful Major League players, whether it be in Miami or not. Others fell flat.
Here is a ranking of the Top 5 draft picks in Marlins history based on bWAR, or wins above replacement, at baseball-reference.com. For the purposes of this exercise, supplemental first-round picks were not considered. Rankings are after the 2025 season. A player’s career, including seasons not in Miami, were considered for bWAR purposes.
Mark Kotsay (1996, 21.4 bWAR)
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The Marlins selected Kotsay No. 9 overall out of Cal State Fullerton, and the outfielder made his MLB debut with Miami the following season, as he played 14 games for the eventual World Series champions. He played four seasons with Miami, as he slashed .280/.322/.411 with 31 home runs and 179 RBI. Miami traded him to the San Diego Padres just before the start of the 2001 season.
He played 17 MLB seasons, also logging time with the Athletics, the Chicago White Sox, Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta. He slashed .276/.332/.404 with 127 home runs and 720 RBI for his career. With the Athletics in 2003 he finished 14th in American League MVP voting.
Charles Johnson (1992, 22.6 bWAR)
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Johnson was drafted No. 28 overall out of the University of Miami, and he turned out to be a solid franchise building block, as the catcher was part of the team’s 1997 World Series championship team. He made his MLB debut with the Marlins in 1994 and spent seven seasons with the franchise. He slashed .241/.324/.418 with 75 home runs and 277 RBI. He won four straight National League Gold Gloves from 1995-98 and was named an NL All-Star in 1997.
He played for 12 seasons, including stints with Baltimore, Colorado, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay. He was traded to the Dodgers in 1998 and returned to Miami in 2001, where he was named an All-Star for the second time. He had a lifetime slash of 245/.330/.433 with 167 home runs and 570 RBI.
Josh Beckett (1999, 35.7 bWAR)
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The Marlins took Beckett No. 2 overall out of Spring High School in Spring, Texas. He made his MLB debut with Miami in 2001 and pitched for the Marlins for five seasons. In that time, he went 41-34 with a 3.46 ERA. He helped the Marlins win the 2003 World Series, where he was named the Most Valuable Player.
The Marlins traded him to Boston in 2006, where he went 89-58 in seven seasons, helped them win the 2007 World Series and won the 2007 AL Cy Young award with a 20-7 record. He finished his career in 2014 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and had a career record of 138-106 with a 3.88 ERA. He was a three-time All-Star and an American League Championship Series MVP.
Adrián González (2000, 43.6 BWAR)
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González was taken No. 1 overall by the Marlins out of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, Calif. But he never played for the Marlins. He was traded to the Texas Rangers in 2003 to acquire pitching to help their 2003 World Series run.
González played 15 seasons for Texas, the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego, Boston and the New York Mets. He slashed .287/.358/.485 with 317 home runs and 1,202 RBI. He made five All-Star teams, won two Silver Sluggers and four Gold Gloves at first base.
Christian Yelich (2010, 45.1 bWAR)
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Yelich, an outfielder, was selected No. 23 overall by the Marlins out of Westlake High School in Westlake Village, Calif. He made his MLB debut with the Marlins in 2013 and spent the first five seasons of his career with Miami. He slashed .290/.369/.432 with 59 home runs and 293 RBI. The Marlins traded him to Milwaukee in January of 2018.
He is still with the Brewers and has a lifetime slash of .285/.374/.464 with 233 home runs and 851 RBI. He was named the 2018 NL MVP, has made three All-Star Game appearances, won a Gold Glove, three Silver Sluggers and two NL batting titles.
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