"The technicality answer would have gone to Brad Penny, who sported No. 33 in his brief return to the franchise in 2014. Top 5 in wins, Top 11 in WAR and strikeouts...he'd be a shoo-in if the point of writing this article series was to be the kind of person you rolled your eyes at from the back of the classroom."
"Ironically, the second place finish here goes to an excellent and frequently overlooked Marlins closer that was eventually traded for a young prospect named...Brad Penny. That'd be Matt Mantei, the Ice Man. Knowledge of his existence and role in the trade that brought Brad Penny to Miami may or may not have won some excellent tickets once upon a time for the author of this article. He's certainly the most memorable of the non-Penny names to wear No. 33 with Miami."
"If you mixed the above two approaches, the win would actually go to two-time Marlins World Series champion Rick Helling, by a 0.1 WAR margin. Unfortunately for Rick, and I'm certain he's reading this and is acutely aware of the slight, he changed jersey numbers for his 0.9 WAR return to the franchise in 2003. So, he lost, but it seemed important to remind folks that it isn't just Jeff Conine and Luis Castillo that have Marlins World Series rings plural in their trophy case."
Brad Penny briefly wore No. 33 in 2014 and ranks among the franchise leaders in wins, WAR, and strikeouts, but technicalities do not determine the selection. The criteria prioritize the best cumulative career effort wearing the jersey number for Miami and aim to spotlight overlooked Marlins as Opening Day approaches. Matt Mantei, a memorable closer traded in the deal that brought Penny to Miami, finished as a close second. Rick Helling would have won by WAR margin but changed numbers during a later return, removing him from contention. John Burkett emerges as the chosen No. 33.
Read at Marlin Maniac
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]