One of the original 25 players for the Florida Marlins was left-handed starter Chris Hammond, who is celebrating his 54th birthday. A six-foot-one Atlanta, GA native, Hammond was originally selected in round six of the 1986 Amateur Entry Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. Over the following five baseball seasons, he made stops with the GCL Reds, in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, the Tampa Tarpons, in the High-A Florida State League, the Chattanooga Lookouts, in the Double-A Southern League, and the Nashville Sounds, in the Triple-A American Association.
Hammond, who was recently honored by us here at Marlin Maniac as the 44th best player in team history, made his major league debut with the parent club in 1990.