The Florida Marlins entered the 2003 season with one winning season in their 10-year history. That, of course, was their championship season of 1997. That team was infamously torn apart a year later, losing 108 games in 1998, and leaving a long rebuilding project ahead. In 2002, they won 79 games, just missing a .500 season.
        Early in this season, the rebuilding project appeared to have taken a step backwards. Young stud A.J. Burnett made four starts, then required season ending surgery. The team had a 16-22 record when manager Jeff Torborg was fired, replaced by 72-year-old skipper Jack McKeon.
       And everything was wonderful after that. The young team gelled together and played over .600 ball after McKeon was hired, coming from behind to take the wildcard spot. They beat a heavily favoured Giants team in the divisional series, then beat the Cubs in the league championship, a shocking victory that may have required divine intervention.
       And in the World Series, they manhandled a veteran Yankees club that looked overmatched. After eleven years, the Marlins had only two winning seasons in their history — both ending with championships.

        The St. Louis Cardinals had a very disappointing season, finishing third in the Central Division despite having the league's best player at four different positions. Scott Rolen, Edgar Renteria and Jim Edmonds all won Gold Gloves, and each was the best hitter at his position.
        At age 23, and in his third major league season, Albert Pujols came close to winning the Triple Crown. He ended up as the batting champion, and among the top five in homers and RBI. Pujols may or may not have been the best left fielder in the league — his competition was Barry Bonds — but it was close. Breaking down Pujols' season, it's hard to find any warts. He had an OPS over 1.000 in every month; he hit .379 with runners on base, .374 with runners in scoring position.
        The Braves won their twelfth consecutive division title, and also surpassed 100 wins for the sixth time in that span. Surprisingly, their pitching staff was just ordinary, but their offense was a juggernaut, leading the league in runs scored. Their three outfielders, Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones and Gary Sheffield, averaged 34 homers and 118 RBI each. Sheffield had perhaps the best season of his career. Unfortunately, the Braves hit only .215 in their division series against the Cubs, and Atlanta's playoff woes continued for another year.
        Todd Helton of the Rockies may have had his most impressive season. He didn't set any career highs, but he also didn't have as much help from his home park. Coors Field was still the best hitter's park in the league, but was not the bandbox it had been in the late 1990's. Helton hit .391 at home, but also had an impressive .949 OPS away from the mountain city.
        Pujols, Sheffield and Helton all had MVP-worthy seasons. But they were all outclassed by 38-year-old Barry Bonds, who won his third straight MVP and the sixth of his career. Bonds was still the most fearsome hitter in the league. Of his 90 RBI, half were himself; for the second year in a row, Bonds led the National League with over 60 intentional walks.
        The Giants entered the season depending heavily on their aging slugger; before the season, they had lost slugger Jeff Kent and staff ace Russ Ortiz. Bonds responded with another monster season; the Giants won 100 games and returned to the playoffs, where they were upset by the Marlins. Bonds' postseason experience was frustrating; he was walked eight times in four games, and only managed to get two hits.
        Bonds missed 32 games during the season, the only downside to his season. Many of those games were lost to nagging injuries of middle age; given that the Giants won the division by 15 games, he could afford to take the days off. Bonds also missed time after the death of his father, Bobby, then made a dramatic return to the Giants' lineup by homering off of Randy Johnson.
        Bonds and Pujols were both awesome; Bonds was better, but Pujols played more often. Had the Cardinals had a better year, or had the Giants faltered, I can see giving the MVP to Pujols. But I think that once again, Barry Bonds was the MVP.
        The Braves had a great outfield, but their infielders were just as lethal. Up the middle, they received sensational seasons from Javy Lopez, Rafael Furcal and Marcus Giles. Furcal, the 2000 Rookie of the Year, had seen his stock drop after a pair of unimpressive seasons, and the discovery that he was actually four years older than he claimed. This season was the best in his career. Giles, the younger brother of slugger Brian Giles, had a breakthrough season at age 25.
        The biggest surprise was the catcher, Lopez. Lopez had been a fine player for the Braves in the late 1990's, peaking in 1998 with 34 home runs. As many catchers do, he went into sharp decline after turning 30, and in 2002 his batting average dropped to .233, with only 11 home runs.
        Lopez reported to spring training in much better shape than in previous years. A .242 average in April suggested that little had changed, but then Lopez sustained an incredible power tear over the last five months of the season, setting a new record for home runs by a catcher.