On January 16th this year (and every year, really), seven former members of the Marlins extended family are celebrating their birthday, including four who played with the Marlins.
Ron Villone was a 6’3”, 237 lb. left-handed pitcher from Englewood, New Jersey. The Seattle Mariners chose him in the first round of the 1992 draft, with the 14th overall selection.
Villone rose quickly through Seattle’s system, stopping with the Riverside Pilots, the Jacksonville Suns, and the Tacoma Rainiers before making his debut with the Mariners in 1995. A trade deadline deal would see him sent to the Padres with Marc Newfield for Greg Keagle and Andy Benes.