The best international Marlins of all time

January 18th, 2021

Baseball. Béisbol. Yakyū. No matter what you call it, baseball's a global game. Look no further than the Marlins, who have showcased a mini United Nations since their inception in 1993. Players born in 23 countries and territories have represented the organization in the Majors, with the United States leading the way with 449 guys. The Dominican Republic is next with 77.

Here are the best players from each based on their time with the Marlins: 

Australia: RHP Mark Hutton
Just two players from the Land Down Under have appeared for the Marlins. Hutton spent parts of two of his five MLB seasons in South Florida. Acquired from the Yankees for David Weathers at the 1996 Trade Deadline, Hutton compiled an 8-2 record with a 3.72 ERA in 45 games (nine starts) from '96-97.

Bahamas: INF Jazz Chisholm
Miami's fourth-ranked prospect became the first Bahamian in Marlins history during the 2020 season. Though he slashed just .161/.242/.321 in 62 plate appearances, Chisholm projects as a 20/20 guy in the future. He will compete for the second-base job this spring.

Brazil: RHP André Rienzo
During a two-season stint with the White Sox, he became the first Brazil-born pitcher to start and win a Major League game. Rienzo then went 0-1 with a 5.95 ERA in 14 relief outings -- his last in the Majors -- with the Marlins in 2015. He remains the only Brazilian to appear for the Marlins.

Canada: RHP Ryan Dempster
A third-round selection by the Rangers in the 1995 MLB Draft, the Marlins acquired Dempster a year later for John Burkett. From '98-2002, he posted a 42-43 record with a 4.64 ERA, seven complete games and two shutouts in 124 outings (121 starts). Dempster is one of seven Canadians to appear for the Marlins.

Colombia: SS Edgar Renteria
Before their inaugural season, the Marlins signed Renteria in February 1992. Five years later, he would drive in the winning run of Game 7 of the World Series. Renteria, who slashed .288/.342/.357 with the Marlins from '96-98 and was an All-Star in '98, would achieve even more success in a 16-year MLB career. He made it to four other Midsummer Classics, won three Silver Slugger and two Gold Glove Awards and was named the 2010 World Series MVP with the Giants. Renteria is one of six Colombia-born Marlins players.

Cuba: RHP José Fernández
The epitome of the American Dream, Fernández tried and failed to flee Cuba with his mother before successfully doing so via boat and winding up in Tampa, Fla. It didn't take long for "Niño," selected 14th overall in the 2011 MLB Draft, to debut. During his National League Rookie of the Year Award-winning campaign in '13, he went 12-6 with a 2.19 ERA in 28 starts, finishing third in NL Cy Young Award voting and being named to the All-Star team. One of nine Cuba-born players for the Marlins, Fernández accumulated a 38-17 record with a 2.58 ERA in 76 starts before his tragic death in '16. His story changed the trajectory of the organization.

Curaçao: INF Ralph Milliard
Like Renteria, Milliard signed with the Marlins in 1992. The middle infielder slashed .174/.313/.196 with two doubles, three RBIs and three stolen bases in 32 games from '96-97. Milliard got one plate appearance with the Mets in '98, then never made it back to The Show. He remains the only Curaçao-born player in Marlins history.

Dominican Republic: SS Hanley Ramirez
The centerpiece of the Josh Beckett-Mike Lowell trade with the Red Sox in 2005, Ramirez won the NL Rookie of the Year Award the following season. He became the first batting champion (.342) in Marlins history in '09 during a stretch of three straight All-Star appearances. Before being dealt to the Dodgers in '12, Ramirez accumulated 34.6 WAR (best in franchise history), 1,103 hits (second) and 148 homers (third) over seven seasons. He remains among the franchise leaders in many other categories.

Germany: LHP Will Ohman
All three Germany-born players for the Marlins had parents serving overseas in the military before returning to the United States. Though Edwin Jackson set an MLB record by playing for 14 teams, his Marlins stint lasted all of eight forgettable outings (5.91 ERA). Based solely on production while with the club, Ohman gets the nod. Acquired from the O's for another name on this list -- Rick Van Den Hurk -- Ohman compiled a 3.00 ERA in 17 relief outings in 2010.

Hong Kong: RHP Austin Brice
Because his father's job required international work, Brice was born overseas. He would become the first Hong Kong-born player to appear in the Majors during his rookie season with the Marlins in 2016. A ninth-round pick by the Marlins in '10, he posted a 7.07 ERA in 15 relief outings before being dealt with Luis Castillo to the Reds. Miami claimed Brice off waivers in '19, and he went 1-0 with a 3.43 ERA in 36 appearances. But the club dealt him again to the Red Sox for Minor Leaguer Angeudis Santos.

Jamaica: OF Devon White
Born in Kingston, his family immigrated to the United States when he was in grade school. White spent two of his 17 Major League seasons with the Marlins from 1996-97, slashing .264/.329/.427 with a .756 OPS and winning the World Series. He is the only Jamaica-born player in Marlins history.

Japan: OF Ichiro Suzuki
The future Hall of Famer served as the fourth outfielder from 2015-17, recording 236 of his 3,089 hits with the Marlins. His 3,000th came on Aug. 7, 2016, at Coors Field. Ichiro is one of two Japanese players to appear for the Marlins.

Mexico: UTL Alfredo Amezaga
One of five Mexico-born Marlins players, Amezaga graduated from Miami High. In two stints with the organization (2006-09, '11), he became a fan favorite. Amezaga hit .255/.315/.339 and played every position except catcher and pitcher.

Nicaragua: LHP Oswaldo Mairena
In 2002, he went 2-3 with a 5.35 ERA over 31 relief outings in his final taste of the Majors. He is the only Nicaragua-born player to appear for the Marlins.

Netherlands: RHP Rick Van Den Hurk
Signed by the Marlins in November 2002, the 6-foot-5 Dutchman debuted five years later. Across parts of four MLB seasons with the Marlins, he posted an 8-9 record with a 5.96 ERA in 35 games (32 starts). Van Den Hurk made 15 more appearances between the Orioles and Pirates from '10-12. He remains the only Netherlands-born player in Marlins history.

Panama: 1B Carlos Lee
The Marlins acquired "El Caballo" via trade from the Astros in July 2012 during his final season of a 14-year MLB career. Lee, who hit .243/.328/.325 with 16 extra-base hits in 81 games, is one of four Panamanians to play for the Marlins.

Puerto Rico: 3B Mike Lowell
Nineteen Puerto Rico-born players have appeared for the Marlins, but none have made as great of an impact as Lowell, who attended Coral Gables High and Florida International University in South Florida. Over seven seasons from 1999-2005, he collected 241 doubles (first in club history) and 143 homers (fourth), made three All-Star teams, won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award and captured the '03 World Series alongside fellow countryman Ivan Rodriguez. Honorable mention goes to Carlos Delgado, who slashed .301/.399/.582 with 33 homers and a 161 OPS+ in '05 for the Marlins.

South Korea: 1B Hee-Seop Choi
Part of the Brad Penny-Paul Lo Duca trade with the Dodgers, Choi hit .270/.388/.495 with an .882 OPS in 95 games upon his arrival in July 2004. He is one of three South Koreans to play for the Marlins.

Taiwan: LHP Wei-Yin Chen
Marlins fans, shield your eyes. The only Taiwan-born player to appear for the Marlins didn't pan out as hoped when he signed a five-year, $80 million free-agent contract in January 2016. From '16-19, Chen went 13-19 with a 5.10 ERA in 102 games (53 starts) before Miami released him in November '19 and ate the remainder of his contract.

United Kingdom: LHP Chris Reed
A London native and Stanford University alumnus, he was the 16th overall selection in the 2011 MLB Draft by the Dodgers. In his only stint in the Majors, Reed allowed two runs on six hits over four relief innings spanning two outings for the Marlins in '15. No other British-born player has appeared for the organization.

United States: RF Giancarlo Stanton
A second-round selection by the organization in the 2007 MLB Draft, Stanton is the only NL MVP Award winner in franchise history. In '17, he led MLB in homers (59) and RBIs (132) and the NL in slugging (.631) and OPS+ (169). More importantly, the slugger remained healthy all season, something that often eluded him. Stanton, who had signed a then-North American sports record 13-year, $325 million contract with the previous ownership group, is the Marlins' leader in many categories, including WAR (35.7), homers (267), slugging (.554) and RBIs (672). He was a four-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner in eight seasons with the Marlins.

U.S. Virgin Islands: INF/OF Jerry Browne
Played the final two seasons of a 10-year MLB career in South Florida, becoming the first and only U.S. Virgin Islands native to appear for the Marlins. From 1994-95, Browne slashed .281/.376/.361 with a .736 OPS in 178 games.

Venezuela: 3B/OF Miguel Cabrera
During his first five MLB seasons, Miggy showcased his Hall of Fame potential with the Marlins. He won the 2003 World Series as a rookie, hitting an opposite-field homer against Roger Clemens in Game 4 after being brushed off earlier in the at-bat. Cabrera, one of 33 Venezuela-born players to appear for the club, is still among the franchise leaders in categories such as average (.313, best), WAR (22.2, third), homers (138, fifth) and RBIs (523, fourth).