Marlins finalize young, overhauled coaching staff for 2025

[Ely Sussman]

Two months removed from his introductory press conference, Clayton McCullough finally has his coaching staff in place. 

On Friday, the Miami Marlins announced Clayton McCullough's 12-man major league coaching staff for the 2025 season. It's mostly comprised of names that had already been reported, newcomers to the Marlins organization and individuals who are even younger than McCullough is. By MLB standards, they have assembled a very unconventional and inexperienced group. Will it work?

Starting off with bench coach, Carson Vitale lands in Miami after spending the previous seven seasons with the Seattle Mariners. Vitale finished up his Mariners tenure as their field coordinator. He's replacing former Marlins bench coach Luis Urueta, who now holds the same title with the Texas Rangers.

Daniel Moskos will attempt to fill the shoes of Mel Stottlemyre Jr., one of the longest-tenured pitching coaches in Marlins history. Moskos used to be the Chicago Cubs assistant pitching coach. As far as I know, Stottlemyre hasn't latched on with another MLB organization yet. Alon Leichman is the new assistant pitching coach, which is a position that did not exist on Skip Schumaker's staff. He's also now the assistant director of pitching, reporting to Bill Hezel.

Not to be confused with the longtime big leaguer of the same name, hitting coach Pedro Guerrero comes here after serving as assistant hitting coach of the San Francisco Giants. Derek Shomon will be his assistant. In 2024, John Mabry was the club's hitting coach, flanked by assistants Bill Mueller and Jason Hart.

Former Minnesota Twins organizational coach Tyler Smarslok takes over the duties that previously belonged to Jon Jay and Jody Reed. He'll be coaching first base, infield defense and baserunning.

It is a low bar to clear, but new third base coach Blake Lalli has the most MLB games (32) and seasons played (three) of anybody on McCullough's staff. Lalli has five seasons of minor league managerial experience, including three in charge of the Arizona Diamondbacks' Triple-A affiliate. His predecessor was Griffin Benedict.

Bullpen coach Brandon Mann is the lone holdover from the 2024 Marlins. He was their pitching strategist last season. The old bullpen coach was Wellington Cepeda.

The baby of the staff is 27-year-old Joe Singley. He will double as catching coach and bullpen catcher while assisting director of catching Maxx Garrett.

The last Marlins field coordinator was Rod Barajas, who played 1,114 games in the majors. His replacement, Aaron Leanhardt, comes from a completely different background, having studied electrical engineering at the University of Michigan, earned a PhD in physics and returned to his alma mater to become a professor, only to make a drastic pivot to baseball. He worked as a major league analyst for the New York Yankees in 2024.

Finally, Bryson Nakamura has been hired as the franchise's first performance & data integration strategist. He comes from the college baseball ranks where he was director & head sports scientist at Stanford Baseball Science Core.

With the exception Shomon, all of these coaches are trying something new, having been promoted from the positions they held on other major league staffs, making the leap from the minors/college or taking on a different set of job responsibilities. Any way you slice it, they cumulatively have not been around the game as long as typical MLB coaches. That does not necessarily mean they're unqualified, but they won't have quite as much credibility on day one in the eyes of most players, media and fans. 

Not directly part of the coaching staff, it's worth mentioning that L.J. Petra is Miami's new head athletic trainer and Austin Lamkey has been retained as video coordinator.

Vitale, Guerrero and Moskos were each guests on the Marlins Hot Stove Show over the last month. Those extended interviews are embedded below.

 

 

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[rurrusuno]

Everyone has to start somewhere, but the Marlins sure do love to sign inexperienced coaches

[Slacker Mills]

Not sure how you can not discuss the movement toward automated balls and strikes, arguably the biggest change the game will have ever seen.

[Ely Sussman]

4 hours ago, Slacker Mills said:

Not sure how you can not discuss the movement toward automated balls and strikes, arguably the biggest change the game will have ever seen.

That change is not imminent, and from the experimentation they've done in the minors, all parties involved prefer the "challenge system" over full automation (at least with the technology currently available). Adopting it in that form would only alter a couple calls per game and theoretically impact both teams equally.

I wouldn't put it anywhere near the conversation of "biggest change the game will have ever seen." That underestimates how consistent most MLB umps already are.

[rurrusuno]

5 hours ago, Slacker Mills said:

Not sure how you can not discuss the movement toward automated balls and strikes, arguably the biggest change the game will have ever seen.

If that ever gets implemented, then 2026 would be the start year at earliest. It would deftinitely change the game. I'm really not against it considering how technology has rapidly evolved and umpires are human, but do make some really bad calls at times. 

[THOMAS JOSEPH]

I like the staff and players growing together.