Ranking Marlins Five Worst First-Round Draft Picks in Franchise History
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For over three decades, the Miami Marlins have had first-round picks each season, and some of those picks stamped their names into MLB history. However, others were notably disastrous.
Now that we've ranked the Marlins' five best first-round picks in franchise history, let's take a look at five of the worst based on bWAR. Using baseball-reference.com, we are only considering players who have appeared in a minimum of 100 games.
5. JJ Bleday (2019, bWAR 1.1)
JJ Bleday was drafted No. 4 overall by the Miami in 2019, but his debut didn't come until July 23, 2022. He was only with the Marlins for one season, where he slashed .167/.277/.309 as a rookie, recording 10 doubles, two triples, five homers and 16 RBIs through 65 games along the way.
In February of 2023, he was traded to the Athletics in exchange for A.J. Puk. Belday has remained with the Athletics since. During his 2025 campaign, he slashed .212/.294/.404 with 14 home runs and 39 RBIs.
4. Chris Coghlan (2006, bWAR 1.0)
Outfielder Chris Coghlan was drafted by the Marlins in 2006 as No. 36 overall and made his debut on May 8, 2009. Coghlan was around when the Florida Marlins were officially renamed the Miami Marlins in 2011.
In total, he spent five years with the franchise before being granted free agency in December of 2013. Soon after, he signed with the Chicago Cubs as a free agent and spent two years in Chicago.
Chicago ultimately traded him to the Athletics for Aaron Brooks, then reacquired him in 2016 in exchange for Arismendy Alcántara. That November, he was granted free agency and underwent chaos after being signed and released by the Philadelphia Phillies and the Toronto Blue Jays. 2017 was his last campaign, which was spent with the Blue Jays. Rounding out his career, he slashed .258/.334/.398 with 53 home runs and 234 RBIs.
3. Taylor Tankersley (2004, bWAR 0.6)
Taylor Tankersley spent all four seasons of his Major League career with the Marlins. He was drafted No. 27 overall in 2004 and made his debut on June 3, 2006. Unfortunately, he missed the entire 2009 campaign due to a stress fracture in his left elbow, which required surgery and extensive recovery. Across 168 career games, he owned a 4.58 ERA and registered 115 strikeouts.
2. Colin Moran (2013, bWAR -0.2)
Although infielder Colin Moran was selected No. 6 overall by Miami in 2013, most of his MLB career was spent playing for the Houston Astros and the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2014, the Marlins made a deal with the Astros to hand over Jake Marisnick, Frances Martes and Moran in exchange for Jarred Cosart, Kiké Hernandez and Austin Wates.
He then spent two seasons with the Astros before entering another trade deal, this time with the Pirates in exchange for Gerrit Cole. A few years later, Moran spent one more year in professional baseball, retiring with the Cincinnati Reds. Throughout his career, he slashed .263/.327/.415 and recorded 50 homers and 239 RBIs across 502 games.
1. Marc Valdes (1993, bWAR -1.1)
Right-hander Marc Valdez was drafted as the overall pick No. 27 in 1993, making his debut on Aug. 28, 1995. He spent two seasons with the Marlins before landing with the Montreal Expos (1997-98), followed by the Houston Astros (2000) and the Atlanta Braves (2001). In January of 2005, he signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees, where he had a brief stint before being released later that year and announcing his retirement.
