This is an article from the “Random Plate Appearance” series. I use the randomizer on the website random.org to give me a year and a game number, then I find the most impactful at bat of that game and break it down.
But it’s really not about the plate appearance in question. It’s about painting a picture of how that version of the Florida or Miami Marlins made you feel. 2000 wasn’t great, but it wasn’t half bad either. This was a time when Preston Wilson roamed the outfield. When guys named Luis Castillo and Mike Lowell held down the infield, and when Ryan Dempster made the all-star team on a minimum salary.