The Florida Marlins and Dan Uggla got together by way of the rule 5 draft in 2005, from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Having never set foot above the double-A level before that date, the Marlins were putting a lot of faith in the untested Kentucky native.
Uggla was a 5’11”, 190 lb. powder keg in the middle infield. Initially drafted by Arizona out of the University of Memphis in 2001, Uggla was coming off a 21 homer, 87 RBI effort with the double-A Tennessee Smokies in the Southern League in 2005.
Uggla turned 26 just prior to his rookie season with the Florida Marlins, and ended up ranking third on the team with 154 games played, behind only Hanley Ramirez and Miguel Cabrera.