As you probably learned in last night's open thread, Wiggins hasn't been around the last few days because of a health issue (he's fine and will be back to normal soon enough, but he'll be recovering for the next few days). That's particularly noteworthy today because the Bret Barberie - Charlie Hough matchup that he was so looking forward to was intentionally saved for the final day of the first round. Now he won't be here to plead his case for Barberie. Feel free to let that influence your vote (but if you do, be prepared to feel the wrath of the Hough supporters, who are likely to be fiercely vocal, if not large in numbers).
We've got some good matchups today (at least I think so, but I've been wrong about that throughout this first round). I will try to have a current bracket posted with tomorrow's second round entry.
If you're just joining us, check out the entry from Day One, which gives something of an overview for the whole process.
Yesterday's Results
Teal (93-96) Bracket: Bryan Harvey advances
97 World Champs Bracket: Jeff Conine advances
Ugly Years (98-02) Bracket: A.J. Burnett advances
03 World Champs Bracket: Juan Pierre advances
Today's Matchups
Teal Bracket
#8 - Charlie Hough - Charlie Hough holds a special distinction amongst original Marlins in that he was the Opening Day starter. Not only that, but he earned the first win, on Opening Day, against the Dodgers. Charlie only pitched for the Fish in 1993 and 1994, totalling 14 wins. You may not remember it, but he was 45 years young in 1993 - a year in which he pitched 204+ innings. Granted, he was a knuckleballer, but take a look when you have a chance to see how many times A.J. Burnett or Josh Beckett have logged 200 innings.
#9 Bret Barberie - Barberie was another original Marlin. He played second base exclusively for the Fish and was an adequate player. His batting average, onbase percentage, and slugging percentage were all slightly above the league average in 1993 and 1994.
1997 World Champions
#4 Edgar Renteria - Renteria was the Marlins' Miguel Cabrera of 1997. At the tender age of 21, he was already a star, at least in the eyes of Marlins fans, before he drove in the winning run in Game 7 of the World Series. Edgar hit .277 and stole 32 bases for the 1997 club. In the World Series, he hit .290.
#13 Darren Daulton - A late season pickup for the 1997 Fish, Daulton's statistics (.262 batting average and three home runs, for example) explain that he was brought in as much for his clubhouse presence and leadership as he was for his baseball ability. At an old 35, Daulton retired after the World Championship campaign. He was (is?) married to the woman who used to be the Hooters' spokesmodel.
Ugly Years
#4 Luis Castillo - Luis debuted with the Marlins at the age of 20 in 1996, but didn't really establish himself with the club until 1999. He hit .302 and stole 50 bags that year - and hasn't looked back since. His 2000 campaign, where he hit .334 and stole 62 bags, was better, but largely overlooked - unless of course folks were pointing out his low RBI total (17 on the year).
#13 Matt Clement - That his trade landed the Fish Dontrelle Willis could be worth a vote or two today. But while he was in teal, Clement was a very good pitcher during his one year (2001) with the club. Well, the numbers don't really support that, but he sure seemed to have the stuff. Still, he only won 9 games and posted an ERA of 5.05.
2003 World Champions
#6 Luis Castillo - Castillo formed half of a fearsome one-two tandem with Juan Pierre in 2003. Luis hit .314, stole 21 bases, and reached base over 38% of the time. He also won a Gold Glove and was an All-Star (for the first and second times, respectively). While he was key to the Marlins post-season success, his defense was more consistent than his bat in October.
#11 Carl Pavano - The ladies loved Pavano and so did the Marlins coaches and front office. Pavano only went 12-13 with a 4.00 ERA, but that was good enough to land him Alyssa Milano, at least for a little while. Pavano was dominant in the post-season, posting a 1.40 ERA in nearly 20 innings of work. He appeared in a total of 8 games. Though he didn't receive the acclaim of Beckett, Penny, or Willis, Carl Pavano notched a number of important outs in the playoffs.
Who is your favorite Marlin?
Teal (93 - 96) Bracket: Charlie Hough vs. Bret Barberie (main poll - featured matchup of the day)
1997 World Champs Bracket: Edgar Renteria vs. Darren Daulton
Ugly Years (98 - 02) Bracket: Luis Castillo vs. Matt Clement
2003 World Champs Bracket: Luis Castillo vs. Carl Pavano
Special Note
If you'd like to write the brief description for a particular player (or players), send me an email or create a diary with your text. I'll be happy to use it.
Thoughts/Discussion
Feel free to use this thread to discuss who you voted for, who you think others should vote for, etc. Or, if you'd prefer, you can create a separate diary too. You can also feel free to include any objections/suggestions/criticsm in the comments.