What happened next? 10 stars from 2010 Marlins

Ten seasons have passed since the Marlins won 80 games for the last time, back in 2010. It’s always good to look back in time and see how the team has changed over the years. Stars have come and gone, eight men have taken over the skipper role—including the interim ones—and even a change of stadium has occurred since then.

But in case you’re wondering what happened next with the 2010 Marlins stars, let’s take a look at the past.

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1. Gaby Sánchez, 1B

2010 stats: 59 XBH, 85 RBI, .273/.341/.448.

Believe it or not, Sánchez is only 36 years old, but has not played in the majors since a 123-game season with the Pirates in 2014. After 2010, he had an All-Star campaign with the Fish in 2011 and stayed in the organization until Pittsburgh acquired him right before the trade deadline of 2012.

The last transaction of Gaby’s playing career the Mariners on March 13, 2016. The former first baseman retired after 700 games, in which he registered 508 hits, 126 doubles, 61 home runs, and 266 ribbies.

The Miami native continues to have a connection to the Fish thanks to his analyst job on FOX Sports Florida.

2. Dan Uggla, 2B

2010 stats: 31 2B, 33 HR, 105 RBI, 100 R, .877 OPS.

Remember those Uggla bombs? Good old times, huh? The powerful infielder departed from Florida right after that season, when he was sent to the Braves for Mike Dunn and Omar Infante.

Even though Dan hit 36 out of the park in his first season as a Brave, his career went downhill in an instant. If you look beyond 2011, you will find disappointing years among the Braves, the Giants, and ultimately, the Nationals. It was all for him after 2015 with the Nats, where he hit for a .183/.298/.300 slash line.

3. Hanley Ramírez, SS

2010 stats: 51 XBH, 76 RBI, 92 R, 32 SB, .300/.378/.475.

The 2006 NL Rookie of the Year winner went on to a successful career. Again, believe it or not, 2010 was his last All-Star season. In the middle of 2012, he was traded to the Dodgers and spent two-and-a-half years in Los Angeles.

The last explosive chapter of Ramírez’s career was in Boston, from 2015 to 2018. In 2016, the Dominican had his only 30-homer, 100-RBI season. He compiled only 60 games since 2018 between the Red Sox and the Indians, probably the last stop of Hanley’s major league journey. Following 2019 shoulder surgery, he reemerged in winter ball with Tigres del Licey (mainly as a designated hitter).

At least for now, he’s been the most successful guy out of this group, along with Aníbal Sánchez.

4. Mike Stanton (now known as Giancarlo Stanton), RF

2010 stats: 21 2B, 22 HR, 59 RBI, .833 OPS, 100 G.

Giancarlo ended up as one of the most beloved Marlins of all time. In 2010, we all got a taste of what was coming next in the Stanton saga.

From 2011 to 2017, the slugging right-fielder averaged 35 dingers, and 88 runs batted in per 127 games. The peak of his Marlins tenure was an MVP-winning season of 59 bombs and 132 RBIs in 2017. No Marlins player had ever hit more than 42 (Gary Sheffield, 1996).

Stanton, whose contract extension with Miami was one of the biggest in baseball history, got traded to the Yankees the following December. He had a productive 2018 before having an injury-plagued year last season.

5. Logan Morrison, LF

2010 stats: 29 XBH, 18 RBI, 43 R, 41 BB, .283/.390/.447, 62 G.

Morrison was all you can ask for from a rookie. In 2020, he provided a late-season boost, especially after the team traded Cody Ross. He spent three more seasons in Miami playing regularly before going to the Mariners in 2014.

After three subpar years, Morrison got his chance to shine. In 2017, he was outstanding for the Rays. Even though a .246 batting average doesn’t back up what I’m saying, he put up 22 doubles, 38 four-baggers, 85 RBIs, 81 walks, and a .868 OPS in 149 games. But then, the outfielder has appeared in 124 games for the Twins and the Phillies between 2018 and 2019, slashing .187/.275/.371.

Morrison was a non-roster invitee at Brewers camp before the 2020 MLB season was suspended.

6. Aníbal Sánchez, RHP

2010 stats: 195.0 IP, 157 SO, 3.55 ERA, 3.32 FIP, 1.34 WHIP.

It’s been a long, winding journey for Sánchez since he left the Marlins on July 23, 2012.

He began a six-year stint with the Tigers that turned into something ugly as the years passed. Basically, Sánchez—famous for throwing the Marlins’ fourth no-hitter in history—had only one good campaign with Detroit; it was 2013, when he was 14-8 and led the American League in ERA (2.57), finishing fourth in the Cy Young race. But unfortunately, Aníbal couldn’t keep that pace. He allowed 85 home runs from 2015 to 2017 (1.8 HR/9) and registered a 5.67 ERA through 88 games (68 starts).

Later, he enjoyed a renaissance with the Braves in 2018 (2.83 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 24 starts). Sánchez went on to sign a two-year deal with the Nationals before last season, contributing to their World Series title.

7. Josh Johnson, RHP

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2010 stats: 183.2 IP, 186 SO, 2.30 ERA, 2.41 FIP, 1.11 WHIP.

The eternal what-could-have-been guy. In 2010, Johnson was on an amazing trajectory. He showed his great upside by leading the National League in ERA (2.30), FIP (2.41), and HR/9 (0.3!). Despite being only 26 then, that was his last year on the top.

What came next was injury after injury. Still with the Marlins, he kind of rebounded in 2012, but was traded to the Blue Jays in the Mark Buehrle, José Reyes blockbuster and never got back to form. Johnson tried twice to make it back to the bigs (signed with the Padres in 2015 and with the Giants in 2016), but his body wasn’t up to the challenge.

8. Ricky Nolasco, RHP

2010 stats: 157.2 IP, 147 SO, 4.51 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 1.28 WHIP.

Nolasco was a nice rotation piece for the Marlins until he got traded to the Dodgers, in 2013. The veteran righty did a good job in Los Angeles (8-3, 3.52 ERA, 3.15 FIP), but his career took the wrong turn when he was acquired by the Twins. During his Minnesota run, he lost 22 out of 57 games (56 starts) and put up a 5.44 ERA. He performed poorly in 2017 for the Angels and that led to what might be the last of his MLB career.

Ricky, now 37, has not pitched in the majors since his final game as a Halo (September 30, 2017).

9. Leo Núñez (now known as Juan Carlos Oveido), RHP

2010 stats: 65.0 IP, 30 SV, 71 SO, 3.46 ERA, 2.86 FIP, 1.28 WHIP.

Oh, man. Let me try to take you back to 2010. The Marlins used to have a Dominican closer named Leo Núñez, who took over the closer role in 2009, when Matt Lindstrom went to the DL. Núñez had a great 2010 season, along with 30 saves, a sub-4.00 ERA, and a sub-3.00 FIP.

His success appeared to be steady. In 2011, he compiled a bunch of saves for the third year in a row (36), but in September, the Marlins placed Núñez on the restricted list. Later, The Associated Press published a report about his fake identity. His real name was Juan Carlos Oviedo.

Oviedo’s career was almost over. He lost two years, before getting called up again by the Rays in 2014. The righty was not entirely bad, though he pitched to a high 4.52 FIP and a 4.5 BB/9 rate.

He’s 38 now and was seen for the last time in the Dominican Winter League for the Gigantes del Cibao in the 2016-2017 campaign, according to Baseball-Reference.

10. Clay Hensley, RHP

2010 stats: 75.0 IP, 22 Holds, 77 SO, 2.16 ERA, 2.87 FIP, 1.11 WHIP.

Hensley was the real deal out of the Marlins bullpen that season. He recorded 22 holds and a 2.16 ERA across 75 frames (77 strikeouts). Clay was not the closer, but was as effective as Oviedo, or even more so.

The Texas native didn’t go long beyond 2010. He came back with the Marlins in 2011, but wasn’t able to repeat what he had done a year ago. At the age of 32, in 2012, he appeared in 60 games for the Giants, his goodbye to the majors. Hensley signed contracts with the Reds, the Brewers, and the Nationals, but never recaptured his “Marlin-Magic.”

Honorable Mention: Donnie Murphy, INF

During the second half of 2010, Murphy emerged from obscurity to become somewhat of a cult hero. Fish Stripes even featured his Marlins walk-off home run in our Games of the Decade series.

Murphy remained with the Marlins until 2012, then played one season each with the Cubs (2013), Rangers (2014) and Brewers (2015) organizations. He’s been in the coaching profession since then and will be managing the Blue Jays’ High-A Dunedin affiliate if/when the 2020 campaign gets started.