Unexpected player still holds Marlins' lead for most home runs since 2017

Giancarlo Stanton had an impressive final season for the Miami Marlins.

The then-Marlins outfielder won the 2017 NL MVP award, posting a .281/.376/.631 batting line with a major league-leading 59 homers and 132 RBI. 

Stanton was traded after that season in what was considered to be a cost-cutting move, with the Marlins receiving Starlin Castro, Jose Devers and Jorge Guzman from the Yankees.

Five full seasons have passed since that trade. The Marlins have seen players come and go over the years. And yet, as James Smyth from YES Network pointed out, Stanton still has the most home runs of any player on the Marlins since the start of the 2017 season.

The Marlins have tried to replace Stanton ever since he was traded. 

The trade that sent Christian Yelich to the Brewers brought back four prospects, with Lewis Brinson and Isan Díaz ranked as top 100 prospects by MLB.com. None of those players panned out. 

A swap of prospects saw the Marlins send Zac Gallen to the Diamondbacks for Jazz Chisholm. Chisholm ranks third on the Marlins in that time frame, having hit 55 home runs.

Free agency has been a mixed bag as well for the Marlins. 

Outfielder Avisail Garcia was signed as a free agent to help jumpstart the offense but has been a mainstay on the Injured List. He has disappointed when healthy, having hit just 12 homers in his time in Miami. 

Outfielder Jorge Soler lived up to expectations, hitting 49 homers in his two seasons, but he exercised his opt-out clause and signed with the Giants. 

Stanton has not exactly set the world on fire since leaving the Marlins. He has battled injuries throughout his time in the Bronx, appearing in over 110 games just twice. 

The power is still there when he is on the diamond. That has been the biggest problem.

The same could be said with the Marlins. Chisholm will likely pass Stanton soon, making that statistic obsolete. But he has battled his own injuries as well. 

Until then, Stanton still has the most homers of any player on the Marlins since the start of the 2017 season despite leaving the franchise behind after that year.