"No? Well, perhaps you're right, although it's hard to argue that Miami feels any closer today to solving the first base riddle they had when Cooper began to fall off the proverbial cliff in 2023. Trade deadline pickups Josh Bell and Jake Burger worked out at the time- less so in 2024, and both gone by 2025. Come to think of it, even Bell would look pretty good right now."
"Anyway, we digress. This stop on the Marlin Maniac Best To Wear The Miami Marlins Jersey Number Series is about celebrating Cooper, the best No. 26 in team history by the measure of Marlins WAR. It's a feat he pulls off with a 4.5 WAR finish for the South Florida portion of his career, with his 52 Marlins home runs ranking way higher on the all-time list than you'd expect (28th)."
"The technical answer/honorable mention award goes to one of the more exciting bench bats in team history, Luis Gonzalez. While his farewell stint with Miami only amounted to a -0.6 WAR effort, his 51.7 WAR and 354 HRs for his career easily make him the best to ever wear it. And 8 of those long balls did come in assistance of the 2008 Marlins."
Garrett Cooper is ranked as the best player to wear No. 26 in Miami Marlins history by Marlins WAR, finishing with 4.5 WAR for his Marlins tenure. He hit 52 home runs for Miami, placing 28th on the franchise all-time list. The first base position remains unsettled after Cooper's decline beginning in 2023 and the brief, inconsistent returns of deadline pickups Josh Bell and Jake Burger. Alex Arias holds sentimental appeal as an original Marlin and 1997 World Series champion. Janson Junk matched Cooper's best WAR season in limited 2025 work while Luis Gonzalez's career 51.7 WAR and 354 homers make him the most accomplished player to wear No. 26 overall.
Read at Marlin Maniac
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