After 'complicated' search process, Marlins find manager who's aligned with their vision

[Kevin Barral]

On Monday, the Miami Marlins introduced Clayton McCullough as the 17th manager in franchise history.

MIAMI—Barely two years after selecting Skip Schumaker to be their manager, the Miami Marlins were back at loanDepot park on Monday to introduce his replacement: former Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough. In the franchise's brief history, McCullough is the 17th person to fill the managerial position.

"I don't want an 18th manager. I want a 17th manager to stay for many, many years," said Marlins chairman and principal owner Bruce Sherman to lead off the press conference.

"It was a complicated process," explained Sherman in a media scrum following the presser. "I've been involved in two searches, as you know, and this one was extraordinarily thorough. The other one was just a different kind of search. This search was a lot of prepared questions, lot of rigor, lot of people involved, many people in the front office and they put all the candidates through their paces. This was just a perfect fit for us."

Prior to joining the Marlins, McCullough spent the last decade with the Dodgers organization, gaining experience as their minor league field coordinator and major league first base coach. Prior to that, he managed in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league system. The Marlins, who believe that developing players will be the key to their long-term success, felt that McCullough's background qualifies him to fill Schumaker's shoes.

"I think the consistency that I expect him to show up with every day, the positive energy, the work ethic, the desire to emphasize with players no matter where they are in their career, we're going to see that in our players getting better," president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said. "We're going to see that in them making big steps, small steps, everything that we want to see along the way. I think at the end of the season, we're going to look up and most of our players will have improved. That's really a good sign for player development."

McCullough is no stranger to the managerial search process. He interviewed with the Marlins two years ago before the team ultimately went with Schumaker. He was also considered by the Chicago White Sox this offseason before they hired Will Venable.

"I think the opportunities that I have been presented with in prior years just helped better prepare me," McCullough told Fish On First in an exclusive interview. "I look back on some of the interviews I've gone through and realize where maybe some of my shortcomings were, or just maybe didn't get across as well enough why I would be a person that would commit to such a responsibility to. I think just some of the opportunities and having a little bit more experience as well as timing everything. Kinda the right fit for both sides comes together and that's what this felt like."

In getting to know McCullough, Bendix found that they shared many of the same values.

"Think it's unusual to find somebody with a combination of positive traits that Clayton has," said Bendix. "For those to align so perfectly with my vision, with Bruce's vision, what sold me here a year ago: the importance of people, the importance of culture, the importance of actually caring for those around you, trying to make them better and how all of those things lead directly to winning, directly to players getting better. He has those beliefs. Before we spoke, he didn't know that what was our vision as well. For that to align so perfectly, it's why he's our manager."

McCullough's staff for the 2025 season is far from complete. The only reported name so far has been Pedro Guerrero, who'll become Miami's new hitting coach.

"We're gonna get great people around me and I know that I am going to need a lot of help," McCullough told Fish On First. "I am going to entrust our staff and our front office to help me along the way. Everything that we are going to do here is going to have to be a collaborative effort where we are all pursuing the same goal. While we might not all look at it through the same lens, I think the more perspectives we get while we're aligned in what we want to do is important."

McCullough has already spoken to several players on the Marlins 40-man roster. The next time he will be addressing the media is during the Winter Meetings, beginning on December 9.

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[rurrusuno]

Since this was Sherman's 2nd time in the last couple of years interviewing managers, it felt different this time as if he was being careful with who to select for the job. 

I'm confident our ballclub will turn things around and be successful for the long haul. We have our manager now and he'll bring in the right team of coaches to develop our prospects. 

[THOMAS JOSEPH]

The press conference was fine, not too cringeworthy as these types of things are wont to be.  I realize it's a time for flattering praise for the choice, that's obligatory, just as are the gung-ho statements about the future. Everyone should believe that these things are happening! As a relatively new Marlins fan, I don't have the weariness that others have, all of which is perhaps understandable.  Yet, as an old warrior from my thirty years as an Expos fan, I never failed to be optimistic about every Spring Training team, and every new manager. Without hope and optimism, even if it is realistically cautious, why root for any sports team?