The Marlins have hired Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough as their new manager, ESPN's Alden Gonzalez reports (X Link). It's the 44-year-old McCullough's first big league captaincy job.
It was no secret that the Marlins were moving on Skip Schumaker At the end of the season, Miami interviewed names like McCullough, the Rangers' assistant manager at the time Will VenableGuardians bench coach Craig Albernaz, Tigers bench coach George Lombardand former Marlins reserve coach Luis Urueta (who worked on Schumaker's staff). After speaking to over 10 candidates in Zoom interviews, the Marlins then met with Venable and Albernaz for in-person interviews and appeared to establish the two as finalists.
However, Venable was then rented named by the White Sox as their new manager, while Albernaz decided to stay in Cleveland and pulled out in the race for leadership positions in Chicago and Miami. This led the Marlins to turn to other candidates, and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald wrote that the club had a face-to-face meeting with McCullough last week at McCullough's home in Jupiter, Florida. With the Marlins holding their spring training camp in Jupiter, it's a homecoming of sorts for McCullough as he begins a new chapter in his career.
McCullough was a minor league catcher in Cleveland's farm system from 2002 to 2005 before beginning his coaching career at age 27 as manager of the Blue Jays' Gulf Coast League rookie ball affiliate. McCullough served in Toronto's farm system from 2007 to 2014, working his way up the ladder to manage all three A-level affiliates before leaving the organization to join the Dodgers in 2015. McCullough initially worked as the Dodgers' minor league field coordinator for a few years Gabe Kapler (now the Marlins' assistant GM) when Kapler was the director of player development in Los Angeles.
The move to the big league coaching staff came in 2021, and McCullough has been LA's first base coach for the past four seasons. It didn't take long for McCullough's name to come up in managerial searches around the league, as McCullough has been a candidate for vacancies with the Mets, Brewers, Guardians and Royals in recent years, in addition to the White Sox's considerations in this one year low season. The Royals job was probably McCullough's closest assignment, as it reportedly was a finalist Two years ago, Kansas City decided to sign Matt Quatraro.
McCullough now faces a tough challenge in his first managerial job as the Marlins are coming off a 100-loss season. Miami's wild-card spot in the 2023 playoffs appears to be a long time ago, as the club parted ways with general manager Kim Ng and hired Peter Bendix as its new president of baseball operations. Bendix's first task was to strengthen the minor league system and tear down the MLB roster, leaving Miami fans to rebuild again.
There is obviously no pressure on McCullough to win any time soon, as his primary role will be overseeing a fairly inexperienced squad. Instead of wins or losses, McCullough's immediate results will be measured by how the young Marlins (both on the active roster and coming off the farm) can develop at the big league level. McCullough's history as a minor league manager will certainly help in this regard, as will his experience as a coach with a World Series-winning team.
Now that the Marlins' decision has been made, the offseason manager hiring cycle is now complete, barring any unexpected layoffs in the coming weeks or months. McCullough joins Venable and Reds manager Terry Francona as the new replacement coach for the 2025 season.
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