Mike Jacobs, Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Scott Olsen, Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez, Taylor Tankersley, Dan Uggla and Josh Willingham
Florida Marlins, Floridamarlins.com
Earlier this year, these guys were nobodies, losers even. Worse than that, they were replacements for the real Major League players Marlins owner and fan hater Jeffrey Loria had discarded during his off-season fire sale: Carlos Delgado, Paul Lo Duca, Jeff Conine, Alex Gonzalez, Luis Castillo, Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell, among others. When the 2006 baseball season began, sports journalists and fans alike agreed the Marlins would lose at least 100 games by the end of September. Early on, the team seemed hell-bent on making that assumption a reality, handing out losses like souvenir visors at the gates of Dolphin Stadium. But then, something unexpected happened. The Bad News Marlins began looking less like baitfish and more like ravenous sharks, scoring runs against seemingly bigger and better teams, outpitching the superstar likes of Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez, and hitting home runs -- and lots of them. By midseason, the Marlins had a certified All-Star in Dan Uggla, who last month set a Major League record for rookie second basemen when he hit his 25th home run. Uggla and left fielder Josh Willingham also became the first rookie teammates in the history of the National League to hit at least 20 home runs in the same season. Most teams would be lucky to get run production such as this from one rookie, let alone two. The Marlins, however, found themselves with an abundance of breakout rookies, including shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who seldom meets a base he can't steal; first baseman and RBI fiend Mike Jacobs; strikeout king Scott Olsen; game-winning pitchers Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco; setup man Taylor Tankersley; and, finally, Anibal Sanchez, who delivered the first Major League no-hitter since 2004. Thanks to the efforts of these players, the Marlins spent September deep in the wildcard race for the playoffs. They didn't make it, of course, but the fact that they even came close to doing so says much about the talent of this young team.
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