ALL DECADE MARLINS

Wow, I can't believe the 2018 Set is in the books, I hope everyone enjoyed it! We've got some big plans for the 2019 Set.... but until then, I'm super excited to start putting out "All Decade" teams to celebrate 10 years of card creating, starting with the excellent work of Colby Tallafuss and Matthew Pennertz did at http://mlbshowdowncards.blogspot.com/!!! Their work inspired my friends and I to start making cards too, which thanks to the excellent work of your beloved podcaster and blog author Bob, turned into the gorgeous looking cards that make up the 2018 set and that we've been posting lately. After speaking to Matthew, I'm happy to incorporate cards he made with the ones we're making for a true representative sample of the last decade of Showdown!

I'm hoping this series of "All Decade" teams can operate as a love letter to Showdown and the creative folks who've been keeping it alive well after a decade since it stopped going to print. Most teams will likely incorporate at least one guy from the 2019 Set, but considering how bleak the Marlins are this year.... this seemed like the perfect place to start! So without further ado, let's get this series started with the Marlins!! Overall, the Marlins are much stronger than many may suspect and come in at 6750 points!

Remember this guy?? Bob's first card posted to the blog!!

Despite this, the powerhouse Phillies, along with the star-studded Nationals, Mets, and Braves are all likely to garner more hype than Miami/Florida. Oddly enough, the Marlins actually tied the Mets for the NL East title in my most advanced/big time league that incorporated Colby's cards from 2011 thru 2013 and the 00/01 cards, plus a spattering of custom cards that Colby created. They went 22-14 (although they lost the tiebreaker game 37 to the Mets, and then the wild card matchup against the Cardinals). Their surprise run was fueled by many of the cards on this team now, except they've got even better support now, particularly the power hitting outfield stars!

LINEUP: With a plethora of OB 9, HR at 17 power to support stellar speed and on-base at the top... Florida/Miami is shockingly stellar on the offensive side (and makes it extra depressing what Jeter gave up for peanuts after the 2017 season). As many of Twitter's showdown faithful have mentioned, Dee Gordon 2015 is essentially the perfect leadoff man. I had this gorgeous cut out ready to roll, so I had to remake his 2015 card in the classic style (Colby's chart). He's followed by a strong pair of FAST OB 10 hitters. I think some managers would protest Yelich's inclusion here in the lineup due to a mediocre chart, but I like extending this lineup and putting more speed on-base before the big guns. Hanley is an all-around beast, particularly his double at 15 with the OB 10. It's going to be fun having three speed A guys ahead of the power hitting behind them, as they should be in scoring position FAST.

The best player on this team is clearly their clean up hitter (and baseball's first $300 million man), the 620 point Giancarlo Stanton. This card was earned in his > 50 HR MVP season and absolutely SMASHES low control pitchers. If a pitcher survives Stanton, he has the honor of facing not one, not two, but THREE consecutive OB 9, HR at 17 sluggers!! Needless to say, the Marlins are going to make teams pay when they get their charts! Batting eighth is JT Realmuto, repping the cool blue of the 2018 Set, and bringing an all around solid OB 8 catcher's chart (plus that helpful +7 arm). He's got an elite doubles range and should produce for the bottom of the order. They round the team out with a solid OB 9 to turn the lineup over in Brian Anderson. 

The lineup alone comes in at a whopping 3890 points, which should be elite even for "best of decade" rosters thanks to having no real drop-offs or liabilities at any position! They've got 2 OB 10, 6 OB 9, and 1 OB 8 hitter. The infield defense is a solid, albeit unspectacular 7 and the outfield brings a strong 6 to bear thanks to the Gold Glove of Marcel Ozuna! However, the gauntlet of OB 9 power hitters is what makes the Marlins extremely fun and a threat to surprise, even against the loaded rotations that the Phillies, Nats, Mets, and Braves will all bring out of the NL East.

ROTATION: As far as All-Decade rotations go, the Marlins won't be anyone's choice as a top 10 rotation. However, there's a lot more to like here than initially meets the eye! Johnson may surrender two doubles, but he's still a Tier 1 with 7 IP and a Control 6! I'm excited to see how his performance influences the "tier or doubles on chart" debate many of our blog's creators have. This card's chart was made by Colby and I remade the card in the classic 00 style! The Marlins then have a couple cards made by Matthew P., with the late, great Jose Fernandez and Henderson Alvarez. Both bring Tier 2 cards with upper level control to bear! The rotation rounds out with Jose Urena's 2017 card. I made it with the new uniform/logo because I'm a huge fan of the new look, so I hope you enjoy! Overall, no Control below 4 and a total "Tier" of 8 for the rotation -- not too shabby!

BULLPEN: Thanks to having a full decade to choose from, the Marlins bullpen is loaded with Tier 2 studs! With five always useful relievers, Miami/Florida has a lot of flexibility from the 4th (or even 3rd!) inning onward in a game. I'm particularly fond of AJ Ramos as a closer thanks to his high K range, high gb range, and lack of singles. Cishek and Mujica are pulled directly from Colby's 2011 and 2012 sets, and they've always performed well in my previous leagues (especially Cishek).

So what do y'all think -- will the Marlins be a team capable of making noise in an all-decade league? Keep an eye out as I continue to make these teams (especially once I can make the 2019 cards!). Also, follow me at @greatestmlbshowdown at Twitter to look out for various polls re: what cards are making these teams! (Thanks to everyone who voted Dan Uggla onto the squad!).