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The Offseason Fish Food questions took a week-long break as we worked on the Marlins Offseason Plan, but we continue today with the next installment. Last week, we asked who the greatest Marlins player was, but today's question is a little different. Who was the Marlins' best draft pick?
This is a slightly more difficult question because it is easy to come up with different definitions for "best draft pick." For some, that may be the best player originally drafted by the Marlins. Among players who have played any amount of time for the Marlins, the current champion in that regard would be Josh Beckett, the former second pick of the 1999 draft. Beckett gathered between 34 and 39 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) depending on who you ask. But only 11 or 12 of those wins came with the Marlins.
If you are looking for a clubhouse leader in wins by a drafted Marlin as a Marlin, you can look towards a player who just left Miami last year. Josh Johnson was the Marlins' best pitcher from 2009 to 2012 and put up ace-caliber play for most of those years. He was among the best pitchers in baseball until his 2011 injury decreased his effectiveness in 2012, and the Marlins were smart enough to bail from him before his 2013 collapse. The team got 21 to 25 wins from him over the course of his career.
But does the player have to play as Marlin to be the team's best draft pick? Adrian Gonzalez was the first pick in the 2000 draft for Miami, and he has produced between 32 and 34 WAR over the course of his career. But none of those wins came as a Marlin because Gonzalez was dealt for Ugueth Urbina in the infamous 2003 deadline trade that brought the Fish elite closer play in return for a future great player.
Of course, your definition could also take into account where the player was drafted. Giancarlo Stanton was a second-round pick who has so far started knocking on stardom's door. Josh Johnson was a star for a few seasons and he was a fourth-round pick. And while Logan Morrison has not sniffed being a star, he was a 22nd round draft pick who became a regular in the majors for some time.
Who do you think was the Marlins' best draft pick ever? You can find each Marlins draft pick and their Baseball-Reference WAR, starting with the first round, over in the Draft section. Tell us who you think is the best in the comments!