“I get to lead the Marlins franchise forward with a culture that is built on determination, focus, and care.”
This is what Clayton McCullough said Monday morning after officially being named the Miami Marlins’ newest manager.
McCullough, who will be the 17th manager in franchise history, spent the last 10 seasons with the reigning World Series champs, the Los Angeles Dodgers. McCullough spent the last four seasons as a first base coach under Dave Roberts.
The 44-year-old has lived in Jupiter the past 10 years, making the transition to South Florida easier.
But speaking of transitions, it won’t be an easy task to transform the Marlins into a force. Miami is coming off a 62-100 season under former manager Skip Schumaker, finishing last in the NL East. Schumaker won NL Manager of the Year in 2023 when the Marlins made the playoffs with an 84-78 record.
At the plate last season, the Marlins were 27th in the MLB in home runs, 28th in on-base percentage, 13th in hits, and 14th in batting average. On the mound, the Marlins were 29th in ERA, 29th in saves, 28th in hits allowed, and 28th in WHIP. In order to compete at a high level, especially in a division with the Braves, Phillies, and Mets, you have to perform well both offensively and defensively, something the Marlins failed to do last season.
The Marlins did suffer a lot of injuries, especially on the mound. Former NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara missed all of last season after Tommy John Surgery, but is expected to be back and ready this year. 21-year-old Eury Perez also had Tommy John Surgery late last year, and will miss the beginning of this season trying to recover.
Outside of injuries, the Marlins saw a ton of production go out the window during and before the Trade Deadline with the organization trading away many key pieces in return for young and promising prospects in order to make over the farm system.
Miami traded their best two hitters last season in Luis Arraez (Padres) and Jazz Chisholm (Yankees). The Marlins also traded their best reliever and closer in Tanner Scott (Padres), as well as starting pitcher Trevor Rogers (Orioles), outfielder Bryan De La Cruz (Pirates), first baseman Josh Bell (Diamondbacks), and reliever AJ Puk (Diamondbacks).
It’s never easy to start over and get rid of players who were already proven at the major league level, but there are already clear signs that the Marlins got a strong haul in return. As a result, there is a lot of promise in terms of the future of this team.
Third baseman Connor Norby and outfielder Kyle Stowers, who were acquired in exchange for Trevor Rogers, showed strong signs at the end of last season and will highlight the middle of the order for the Marlins this upcoming season. It is to remain to be seen if he will join the major league squad but Agustín Ramírez, Miami’s third-best prospect who was acquired in the Jazz Chisholm trade, is expected to be a big part of the future of this team. Another name is Deyvison De Los Santos, who was acquired in the AJ Puk trade. De Los Santos led all of minor league baseball with 40 home runs last year and will have a chance to compete for a major league job during Spring Training.
Peter Bendix, the Marlins President of Baseball Operations, spoke on the hiring of McCullough: “Throughout our process, his character, care for people and culture, passion for player development, and desire to win stood out and make him a perfect fit for our organization. He has an impressive track record of success, building relationships, and bringing positive energy every day. It’s clear that Clayton’s values and vision align perfectly with ours.”
ESPN analyst Eduardo Perez also commented on the hire: “He comes from a winning environment. He is a teacher. That’s the most important thing… Clayton McCullough is a teacher. The Marlins are still going to need players that will develop at the major league level.”
We shall see how the hiring of McCullough turns out, and what other changes occur during the Marlins organization over the next few months leading up to Spring Training. But for now, the Marlins found their new manager.