What should the next Marlins Legends Hall of Fame class look like?

Just before the start of spring training at their annual FanFest, the Marlins announced they would take a long-awaited step in honoring their past. Heading into their 33rd season of existence, the inaugural Legends Hall of Fame class was revealed, consisting of players and coaches long lauded by fans for their play on the field and their candor off of it. Each individual will receive a day in his honor coinciding with a bobblehead giveaway and a permanent place in the HOF inside loanDepot park.

The first Hall of Famer to be featured was fittingly Mr. Marlin, Jeff Conine, an original 1993 Marlin, contributed to both of the franchise's World Series teams and is one just one of two players to play 1,000 games for the Fish. The Marlins held a pregame ceremony for Conine on Sunday. Fellow champion player Luis Castillo and managers Jim Leyland and Jack McKeon will be formerly inducted later this season.

According to the Marlins, populating the Marlins Legends Hall of Fame will be an ongoing process. New players, staff and perhaps executives deemed deserving will be added each season. Who should be part of the next class in 2026? Here’s a look at our top five picks along with some honorable mentions.

Hanley Ramírez

The main return for World Series champs Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell in a 2005 trade, Hanley came to the Marlins unpopularly, but quickly became a fan favorite. After debuting with the Red Sox, Ramírez immediately stepped into the starting shortstop role with Miami and immediately made a huge impact. As a 22-year-old, he put up a 4.9 bWAR while slashing .292/.353/.480 and stealing 51 bases. This immediate output earned Ramírez the NL Rookie of the Year as he edged out Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals. Ramírez is one of four total Rookies of the Year in franchise history.

For the next two seasons, Ramírez remained an offensive force and established himself as one of the best hitting shortstops in baseball. In 2007, he barely missed out on a batting title as he hit .332. He continued to show great patience at the plate proven by a .386 OBP and saw a pronounced power increase as he put out 24 home runs to go along with another 51 steals. Following his first All-Star selection in 2008, Ramírez would not be denied the batting title in 2009. His .342 BA led the NL circuit and stood as the best single-season batting average in franchise history until Luis Arraez surpassed him in 2023. He rounded out 2009 with a career high .410 OBP and 24 home runs. His 7.3 bWAR that season is second-best in franchise history. Only topped by Albert Pujols, Ramírez finished runner-up in NL MVP voting.

Hanley rounded out his Marlins career by posting a combined 3.6 bWAR between 2010 (another All-Star season) and 2012. Overall, his 26.9 bWAR over seven seasons with Miami ranks second all-time. His 3,671 ABs rank second only to Castillo. One of, if not the main reason to show up to watch Marlins games every single night, Ramírez was a close to a five-tool talent that went on to contribute to winning teams. A premier athlete and top performer from the moment he put on the teal and black, Hanley exemplifies the title Marlins Hall of Famer.

Josh Johnson

Johnson was a Marlins high school draft pick in 2002. After starting in rookie ball, he made it to the majors just three seasons later and quickly rose to stardom. By 2006, at age 22, he became a fixture in the rotation, posting a 3.10 ERA, a 3.99 FIP, and a 133/68 K/BB. The Marlins knew they had something special in the 6’7” righty.

Excitement quickly turned to disappointment for the Marlins in 2007 as Johnson missed nearly all of that season due to an ulnar nerve injury that eventually required Tommy John surgery. However, Johnson recovered ahead of schedule and was ready for the 2008 season just 11 months afterwards. Managing a 2.0 bWAR in 87.1 IP under those circumstances, Johnson once again stood out. A full-go in 2009, Johnson threw 209 innings while striking out 191 and walking just 58. His ERA sat at 3.23, his FIP at 3.06. He went 15-5 on the season, a winning percentage that stands today as the best single-season mark by a Marlins pitcher. In 2010, after signing a four-year contract, Johnson had a career year. Leading all of baseball in FIP at 2.41 and leading the NL in ERA at 2.30, with a 186/48 K/BB, he made his second straight All-Star Game. He was shut down in September, though, which contributed to him finishing just fifth in NL Cy Young voting. 

Amidst controversy regarding the extent of his shoulder injury, Johnson missed most of 2011, but threw enough to still manage a 2.9 bWAR. He was the first pitcher to start a game at Marlins Park in 2012, another quality outing for Johnson despite a Marlins loss.

Overall, Johnson is the franchise leader in many telling categories: pitcher WAR (25.8), ERA (3.15), FIP (3.20), HR/9 (0.58), and win probability added (10.3). He was one of the most dominant pitchers to ever toe the rubber for Miami and he was one of few that can claim he was a franchise player. Josh Johnson is a Marlins Hall of Famer.

José Fernández

Talents like this don’t come along often.

A Tampa area high schooler after surviving defecting from Cuba with his family, Fernández was living the American dream even before he was selected by the Marlins in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft. After his selection, Fernández threw in just 27 minor league games before the Marlins had seen enough to award him his MLB call. It was well warranted: in 25 games at Low-A and High-A in 2012, Fernández set himself apart from all of his competition, going 14-1 with a 1.75 ERA, 0.926 WHIP and 158/35 K/BB.

Fernández made his MLB debut out of camp as a 20-year-old in 2013. Pitching against competition nearly eight years his elder on average, he struck out eight Mets over five innings pitched while allowing just one earned run. Fernández parlayed that outing into his first quality start just five days later when he went six shutout frames against the Phillies in his Marlins Park debut. It was the first of 17 Fernández quality starts during his rookie season. Limiting hits to just 5.8 per nine innings with dominant stuff well ahead of his years—a mark which led all of MLB—Fernández easily won the NL Rookie of the Year award and placed third in Cy Young voting. His 6.2 WAR that season was and still is the highest posted by a rookie pitcher since 1986.

Fernández started 2014 just as dominant before a blow-up start against the Padres in early May. Following that uncharacteristic 5 IP, 6 ER outing, an ulnar nerve injury was revealed which required Fernández to undergo Tommy John. He didn’t return until July of 2015. In his first start back, he commanded a quality start. In his second outing, he went seven shutout innings and struck out nine. Overall, Fernández's 2015 equated to 11 starts with a 1.4 WAR by way of a 2.92 ERA and 2.24 FIP. José was back.

2016 arrived with a 23-year-old José back healthy and feeling as dominant as ever. He started 29 games, 18 of which equated to quality outings. His 253 strikeouts were already a franchise record as was his 12.48 K/9, his 5.78 H/9 and his 2.30 FIP, records which still stand today. But after his final scheduled start of the season got pushed back by a day, tragedy struck. On the morning of September 25, 2016, Fernández was killed in a boating accident. Suddenly, baseball took a backseat to culture. As the Marlins resumed play, Dee Gordon hit an iconic home run and the Marlins won in his honor, all of Miami continued to feel and love José Fernández. That love matriculates to this day. He is still the Marlins’ all-time leader in win percentage.

José Fernández is one of the greatest talents this franchise has ever seen. Posthumously, he is a Marlins Hall of Famer in every sense of the title.

Gary Sheffield

Sheffield was the dominance of the Marlins for over half a decade. Joining Miami in their expansion year, the bat-waggling Florida native quickly became a staple with the Marlins.

Starting in 1993 when he joined the squad from the Padres in a trade that included Trevor Hoffman, Sheff swatted 10 bombs in 72 games. Despite being limited to just 87 games in 1994 due to the strike, Sheff once again led the Marlins in homers with 27. After injury in 1995, a fully healthy Sheff enjoyed a career season in 1996, slamming 42 home runs and slashing .276/.380/.584. His 5.9 bWAR that season ranks as the sixth-best season by a Marlins position player and his 7.7 offensive bWAR is the highest ever. Despite being slowed by minor injury in 1997, Sheffield slashed .250/.424/.446. In the playoffs, he hit .320/.521/.540 with three home runs, including one in Game 3 of the World Series.

One of the most feared hitters of his era with a 60.8 career WAR, over 500 home runs and a .900+ OPS including 13.2 WAR, 122 HR, and .970 OPS with the Fish, Sheffield is not only a Marlins Hall of Famer; he should be a National Baseball Hall of Famer.

Wayne Huizenga

A small business owner early in his career, Huizenga quickly built a South Florida empire. Originating from a several-thousand-dollar investment, Huizenga created a Fortune 500 company in Waste Management and had the vision for Blockbuster Video. Before the Marlins were more than a thought in his mind, Huizenga was a minority owner for the Miami Dolphins and was already a millionaire. As Blockbuster, Waste Management and his minority stake with the Dolphins grew, bringing baseball to South Florida came into his focus. In 1990, Huizenga made the pitch to MLB for an expansion team in South Florida. In 1991, MLB accepted the pitch against competitors, largely because of the ability of the then-modern Joe Robbie to house and accommodate multiple sports including Major League Baseball.  

Huizenga’s tenure as owner started as similarly as any expansion franchise, but quickly led to the pinnacle of Major League Baseball in just his fifth year as an owner. At the time, the Marlins were the fastest expansion franchise to ascend the ladder and win a title. Though things went south for Huizenga and his fortunes just after the Marlins' title run, the franchise wouldn’t exist if not for his vision. A true trailblazer in every sense of the word and stalwart for the South Florida community whose efforts still persist today posthumously, Wayne Huizenga deserves to be immortalized. He is by his Florida Panthers; the Marlins should follow suit.

Honorable mentions: Miguel Cabrera, Mike Lowell, Dontrelle Willis, Kevin Brown, Don Mattingly