MIAMI -- By the final time Giancarlo Stanton put on a Miami Marlins home uniform last season, he was worn down, beaten up, drained.
But that wasn't all.
At what would prove to be the end of a decade-long roller-coaster ride with a foundering franchise, Stanton also felt enriched, wiser and more complete than he was when he started his Marlins journey as a 17-year-old second-round draft pick in 2007.
A revolving door of Marlins managers -- eight in Stanton's eight seasons with the big-league club -- made it particularly challenging to feel connected to the organization, even as he was stamping his place in the team record books and launching a barrage of jaw-dropping home runs.