» November 14, 1995: Mark Kotsay, of Cal State Fullerton, is named as winner of the Golden Spikes Award as the nation's top amateur baseball player.

» June 4, 1996: Pitching dominates the baseball draft as 14 of the first 22 selections are moundsmen. Clemson pitcher Kris Benson is the top choice, going to Pittsburgh, while the Twins pick power hitting Travis Lee from San Diego State as the 2nd choice. The Cards follow with Wichita State P Braden Looper. Picking 14th, the White Sox take lefty Bobby Seay, but will declare him a free agent in August when the can't reach an agreement with his agent, Scott Boras. Lee, John Patterson (Expos), and Matt White (Giants) will also not sign and become free agents: the four will ink contracts with the Devil Rays and Diamondbacks, with White getting a $10.2 bonus, the largest in history. The Marlins use their 1st pick, 9th overall, on college player of the year, Mark Kotsay, and will ink him to a $1,125,000 contract. The Royals take high schooler Dee Brown in the first round. Boston picks Shea Hillenbrand in the 10th round.

» June 22, 1998: Florida OF Mark Kotsay gets five hits in the Marlins' 12–inning, 3–2 win over Tampa Bay.

» May 18, 2000: The Padres defeat the Marlins, 6-2. Florida steals 10 bases in 10 attempts in the game, falling one shy of the modern NL mark. Luis Castillo and Cliff Floyd steal three apiece, while Mark Kotsay and Preston Wilson each pilfer a pair.

» March 28, 2001: The Padres give up on P Matt Clement, sending him to the Marlins for OF Mark Kotsay. The Pads also throw in righty Omar Ortiz, a 1999 first round pick.