Is there a more forgotten member of the Miami Marlins Top 25 hitter club than Mark Kotsay?

If so, I’d love to meet them. Of course, I’d love to meet just about any member of that Top 25 club, but you get the point. Kotsay is one of only eight members of that group to have never logged significant playing time with a winning team during his Marlins tenure, already putting him somewhat behind the 8-ball. Yet he’s also the only one of those eight to have not either made an All-Star game, won a major award, or hit 20 HRs or more in a season. So he’s a bit of an inbetweener when it comes to Marlins history, even with the caveat that he technically played fourteen games for the 1997 champions

However, none of that changes the fact that he’s one of the best defensive outfielders Miami has ever had and was an excellent player on some decidedly unexcellent Marlins rosters.

Ultimately, that’s the main mark against Kotsay- being the best player on the worst team in franchise history. For that’s exactly what he was WAR-wise (3.9) for the 1998 club that introduced South Florida baseball fans to the word firesale. He never quite got back those heights, but he also averaged 151 games a season once he was moved into the starting lineup. And while he was there? A solid bat that wouldn’t hurt you and standout defense, day in and day out. In 1998, he led the majors in outfield assists. The Marlins have had more decorated outfield defenders but Kotsay is certainly the best glove among the non-Gold Glove winners…and actually might be ahead of one or two of those recipients.

One other thing that sets him apart is the suddeness with which he was traded- less than a week before Opening Day in 2001. It was an MLB talent for MLB talent trade, with starting pitcher Matt Clement and rightfielder Eric Ownes coming back in the deal, but unfortunately one that worked out very poorly for the Marlins. Then again, when Miami gave up on the Clement experience a year later, they did trade him for Dontrelle Willis. So there’s that! At any rate, the trade happened right before eyes really started to turn back towards the Marlins as a competitive team, rendering Kotsay’s Marlins success to relative obscurity.

Honorable mentions? Much like in Highlander, there can really only be one.

Ivan Rodriguez- 2003 World Series campion.

Whereas Kotsay only played fourteen games for the 1997 Marlins, that’s almost the same number of games Rodriguez missed for the 2003 club. The future MLB Hall of Fame catcher had a 4.5 WAR season in his lone Marlins stint, easily capturing the title of best free-agent signing ever for the franchise. Pudge was Miami’s most prolific bat in that postseason, racking up 17 RBIs. Plus, you might remember that play at the plate in Game 4 of the NLDS.

Beyond that, I suppose we do need to acknowledge Kotsay’s 1997 teammate Kurt Abbott, who definitely earned his 1997 championship ring and had a respectable four year stretch in the No. 7 jersey. Also, as I’m sure some of you have been waiting to see mentioned, recent Marlins outfielder Jesus Sanchez did wear No. 7 too. However, that was for only about half of his time with the Marlins. So we’ll put him in fourth place here for the lack of consistency, which sort of tracks when you think of it as a lack of consistency on the field helped get him traded in the first place.

Back soon at No. 6 with a name every Marlins fan, and at least two Marlins broadcasters, knows very well.