These former Marlins have a shot at the HOF this year

Eight people enshrined in Cooperstown wore a Marlins uniform at some point.

That number could increase at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, when the results are unveiled for the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee ballot. Candidates need to receive votes on 75% of the ballots cast by the 16-member committee to become part of the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame Class.

Here are the former Marlins up for Hall of Fame consideration:

Gary Sheffield
The owner of one of the most iconic right-handed batting stances, Sheffield could become the first Hall of Famer to don a Marlins cap on his plaque.

Sheffield spent six of his 22 seasons with the Marlins, the longest with any club. While he recorded more bWAR (17.0) and slugged more homers (129) with the Dodgers than the Marlins (13.2 bWAR and 122 homers), Sheffield became a World Series champion in South Florida -- and in the process batted .320 with a 1.061 OPS during the 1997 postseason.

In 1996, Sheffield put together one of the best seasons by a Marlins hitter. He led the National League in on-base percentage (.465), OPS (1.090) and OPS+ (189) while appearing in a career-high 161 games. For his efforts, Sheffield finished sixth in NL MVP voting.

This is where that season ranks in Marlins history: bWAR (sixth, 5.9), offensive WAR (first, 7.7), OBP (first), SLG (second, .624), OPS (first), runs (sixth, 118), total bases (seventh, 324), homers (second, 42), RBIs (fourth, 120), walks (first, 142), OPS+ (first), wRC+ (first, 159), extra-base hits (eighth, 76), times on base (first, 315) and win probability added (first, 6.4).

From 1993-98, Sheffield was named to three All-Star teams and won a Silver Slugger Award. He slashed .288/.426/.543 with 98 doubles, seven triples, 122 homers, 380 RBIs and 74 steals in 558 games with the Fish.

Carlos Delgado
Delgado spent just one of his 17 big league seasons with the Marlins, but he could be considered one of the top free-agent signings in franchise history -- with one of the best campaigns of his career.

In 2005, Delgado hit .301/.399/.582 with 41 doubles, three triples, 33 homers and 115 RBIs in 144 games to finish sixth in NL MVP voting. His .981 OPS was bested just twice in his career (1.019 in 2003 and 1.134 in 2000).

The left-handed slugger’s 2005 campaign remains among the best seasons in Marlins history: OBP (eighth), SLG (fourth), OPS (fourth), homers (tied for ninth), RBIs (tied for seventh), OPS+ (161, fourth), XBH (77, seventh) and WPA (5.9, second).

Don Mattingly
Mattingly, who was one of the best hitters of the 1980s, had his 14-year playing career with the Yankees cut short by back injuries.

But after managing the Dodgers from 2011-15, Mattingly took over at the helm for the Marlins (2016-22), going on to become the franchise’s all-time leader in managerial wins (443) and games (1,030). In 2020, when the Marlins finished over .500 for the first time since 2009 and snapped their lengthy 16-season playoff drought, Mattingly was named the NL Manager of the Year. The Marlins swept the Cubs in the NL Wild Card Series before being swept themselves by the Braves in the NL Division Series.

Barry Bonds
Baseball’s home run king spent one season as the Marlins’ hitting coach in 2016 during Mattingly’s tenure. Miami ranked second in average (.263) among NL clubs but toward the bottom of most other offensive categories.