All-Time Marlins Countdown: Chapter 9

Here’s the ninth chapter in our 165-part offseason series on every player to appear with the Florida and Miami Marlins.

Each of the seven players outlined in today’s article are part of the second tier of the countdown. That is—players with a neutral brWAR and less than 20 plate appearances and/or batters faced.

574. Jesus Delgado

Right-handed pitcher Jesús Delgado is a native of Maracay, Venezuela. He signed his first pro contract in 2001 with the Boston Red Sox at the age of 16. After the 2005 season, he was traded with Harvey Garcia, Hanley Ramirez, and Anibal Sanchez to the Marlins for Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, and Guillermo Mota.

Delgado struck out 52 in 57 ¹⁄₃ innings in 2008 with the Double-A Charlotte Knights, going 5-2 with a 3.45 ERA. The Marlins called him up for a look in September, after the conclusion of the minor league season and the roster expansion. He appeared in two games, pitched two innings, and allowed one run on one hit and three walks. The Marlins placed him on waivers in the middle of 2009 Spring Training, and the Seattle Mariners picked him up. He later also signed with the Cincinnati Reds, but never again made it back to the major league level.

573. Jo-Jo Reyes

Jo-Jo Reyes was the Atlanta Braves second round choice in the 2003 draft. A West Covina, California native, Reyes eventually spent parts of four seasons at the major league level with the Braves. In 41 games, including 37 starts, the lefty was 5-15 with a 6.40 ERA and 128 whiffs in 194 frames. After the 2010 campaign, the Braves traded him with Yunel Escobar to the Toronto Blue Jays for Tim Collins, Alex Gonzalez, and Tyler Pastornicky.

Reyes later joined the systems of the Baltimore Orioles, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Los Angeles Angels, and the Philadelphia Phillies. After pitching 140 ²⁄₃ innings between the Jays and the Orioles in 2011, he didn’t again make an appearance at baseball’s top level until ¹⁄₃ of an inning with the Angels four seasons later. Prior to 2016 Spring Training, the Marlins signed him to a contract.

On June 29, Reyes made his only appearance with the Marlins in a game against the Detroit Tigers. Trailing 8-3, Reyes entered the game in the seventh and surrendered a pair of runs in two innings of work on three hits and a walk. After the season, he refused an assignment to the minors and declared free agency.

572. Ryan Lavarnway

Backstop Ryan Lavarnway was the Red Sox sixth round pick in the 2008 draft. A right-handed catcher, Lavarnway is a Woodland Hills, California native. He got to the majors in 2011 and played in parts of four seasons at the parent level, hitting .201/.249/.315 in 97 games.

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Lavarnway later played in the majors for the Orioles, the Braves, the Oakland Athletic, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Cincinnati Reds. Granted free agency after spending 2019 in the minor league systems of the New York Yankees, the Reds, and the Cleveland Indians, Lavarnway signed with the Marlins.

Lavarnway joined the Marlins from their alternate site in early August, and appeared in five games. In 11 at bats, he collected four hits. Although he struck out twice, he hit safely in every game in which he had a plate appearance. He took 36 errorless chances, and threw out one-of-two base stealers.

571. Zach Phillips

Left-handed pitcher Zach Phillips was a 23rd round pick of the Texas Rangers in 2004. A Sacramento, California native, Phillips took seven years to get to the majors. Traded to the Orioles for Nick Green, he played in 16 games for Baltimore in 2011 and 2012, striking out 13 in 14 innings and holding down a 1.286 WHIP with a 3.21 ERA.

The Orioles cut ties with Phillips following the 2012 campaign, and the Marlins signed him through free agency. 2013 would see Phillips pitch in 50 games for the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs, with 74 whiffs in 59 innings, a 1.237 WHIP, and a 2.44 ERA. Called up to fill out the roster in September, Phillips got into three games for Miami in relief. He gave up a run on three hits and three walks over 1 ²⁄₃ innings for a less-than-ideal 3.600 WHIP.

The Marlins didn’t hold onto Phillips into a second season. He later in the majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and also played in the minors for the Chicago White Sox, the St. Louis Cardinals, and again with the Orioles.

570. Christopher Bostick

In 2011, Christopher Bostick was a 44th round choice of the Oakland Athletics. A right-handed infielder/outfielder and Rochester, New York native, Bostick was traded from the A’s to the Texas Rangers to the Washington Nationals to the Pittsburgh Pirates before making a major league appearance. In 2017 and 2018, he played in 22 games for the Bucs, hitting .276/.382/.345.

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On August 12, 2018, the Marlins purchased Bostick’s contract from Pittsburgh. In 16 games for the Baby Cakes, he hit .281. He also appeared in 13 games for the Marlins, going three-for-14 with a double, two walks, two RBI, and six strikeouts. Bostick signed with Baltimore after the Marlins again granted his free agency.

569. Erasmo Ramirez

Erasmo Ramirez was an 11th-round pick of the San Francisco Giants in the 1998 draft. A native of Santa Ana, California, lefty pitcher Ramirez was traded with Todd Ozias and Chris Magruder to the Texas Rangers for Andres Galarraga at the 2001 trade deadline.

Ramirez remained mostly in the minors for the Rangers for the next four years. He did appear in 84 games at the major league level between 2003 and 2005. In 107 2/3 innings of work, he struck out 55 and pitched to an 8-4 record, a 1.142 WHIP, and a 4.01 ERA.

Ramirez signed on with the Oakland A’s through free agency prior to the 2007 campaign, but they granted his free agency mid-season. The Marlins signed him on June 22 to work out of the pen. In four appearances, Ramirez pitched 3 ¹⁄₃ innings, giving up four hits, two walks, and two runs. He struck out one batter. The Marlins released him after the season.

568. Braxton Lee

Outfielder Braxton Lee was taken in the 12th round by the Tampa Bay Rays back in 2014. A native of Picayune, Mississippi, Lee was traded from the Rays with Ethan Clark to the Marlins for Adeiny Hechavarria in mid-2017. Despite splitting the season between the two clubs at the Double-A level, he ended up leading the Southern League with a .309 batting average between the Montgomery Biscuits and the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Following the conventional season, Lee hit .347 in the Arizona Fall League.

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Lee’s performance from the 2017 campaign paired with a strong showing at Spring Training got him onto the Opening Day roster. He played in eight of Miami’s first 12 contests of the season, going three-for-17 with a walk, two RBI, and eight strikeouts. In 33 innings of defensive work in the outfield, he took seven errorless chances.

Lee was injured for a lot of the 2018 season and hit .233 in 84 games across three levels of the minors. Following the season, the New York Mets took Lee in the rule 5 draft. He has yet to make it back to the major league level.