Marlins fire Mel Stottlemyre Jr., several others from Schumaker's 2024 coaching staff

[Kevin Barral]

Following six seasons with the organization, the Marlins are moving on from the respected pitching coach, even with a guaranteed year remaining on his contract.

Just three days after the Miami Marlins announced that they will be parting ways with manager Skip Schumaker, Fish On First has learned that several of the coaches who worked with the former National League Manager of the Year are following him out the door. That includes longtime pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr., sources said. Craig Mish of SportsGrid was first to report regarding Stottlemyre specifically.

Stottlemyre, 60, was hired as Miami's major league pitching coach entering the 2019 season when Don Mattingly still served as Marlins skipper. He previously held the same position for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners. Stepping into a rebuilding situation, the Marlins pitching staff ranked 29th in fWAR (22nd SP/30th RP) during that year. One of the few bright spots was the emergence of young Sandy Alcantara, who posted a 3.88 ERA (110 ERA+) and was second on the team in bWAR that year while earning an All-Star selection.

During the craziness of the shortened 2020 season, Pablo López had a breakout of his own, throwing a team-leading 57 ⅓ innings and posting a 3.61 ERA (126 ERA+) and 3.09 FIP. Alcantara, López and others gained their first taste of postseason baseball that October as the Marlins advanced to the NLDS.

The overall performance of Stottlemyre's pitching staff trended upwards in 2021 as they would rank 12th in the league in fWAR. This time, it was Trevor Rogers' turn to burst onto the scene and make the NL All-Star team. The homegrown left-hander also finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting.

Cy Young Sandy became a thing in 2022. He led the majors with 228 ⅔ innings pitched and six complete games, with one being a shutout. Alcantara would post a 2.28 ERA, 2.99 FIP, 8.1 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 en route to becoming the franchise's first-ever Cy Young Award winner. Along with Alcantara, Jesús Luzardo and Braxton Garrett made noticeable improvements.

Last year, for the first time since 2003, the Marlins made the playoffs in a full season. Mattingly departed, but Stottlemyre was retained by new manager Skip Schumaker. This would be Stottlemyre's best pitching staff, ranking fifth in the majors in fWAR, largely led by the previously mentioned young arms. Garrett and Luzardo were reliable fixtures in the starting rotation throughout the season while 20-year-old Eury Pérez had immediate success as a rookie. Stottlemyre and the Marlins staff also brought out the best in Tanner Scott, who overcame control issues and from mid-2023 through July 2024 had the most dominant run that any Miami closer has ever had.

In 2024, the Marlins were doomed from the start. Alcantara and Pérez were sidelined following Tommy John surgery, while Garrett and Luzardo spent the vast majority of the season on the injured list as well. Through a combination of injuries and trades, Stottlemyre worked with 45 different pitchers, shattering the franchise's single-season record. The Marlins allowed 841 runs, their highest total since moving into loanDepot park. He had his greatest impact on some of the club's inexperienced relievers, particularly Calvin Faucher and Declan Cronin, and in smaller samples, Jesús Tinoco and John McMillon.

Schumaker's successor will have the opportunity to decide on his own pitching coach for the 2025 season, though Stottlemyre had one year remaining on his contract and will still be paid by the Marlins.

Addressing the media on Tuesday morning, president of baseball operations Peter Bendix would not put a timeline on when he expects to hire a new manager.

"There’s a lot of different types of people, different types of ways to do that job really well,” Bendix said. “If you look around the league, there’s a lot of different ways of doing it. And what we need to figure out is what’s the right combination for us.”

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[Jay_Sizzle]

I CANNOT BELIEVE IT