Ely Sussman

Shocktober: The Biggest Upsets in World Series History retells the stories of 22 Fall Classics, including the 2003 matchup between the Florida Marlins and heavily favored New York Yankees. The Marlins had to overcome so much adversity just to reach the World Series in 2003. Their reward? A meeting with the dynastic New York Yankees, who had won four of the previous seven championships. Available exclusively to Fish On First SuperSubs, we're sharing a digital copy of Chapter 19 from Shocktober: The Biggest Upsets in World Series History, detailing how the Marlins defeated the Yankees in six games. Friday marks the 21st anniversary of the clinching victory. Scroll down to read it! The paperback version of Shocktober is being released on January 7. It's available for pre-order here. View full article

Today's news roundup also celebrates the anniversary of the Marlins clinching the 2003 World Series title. On Thursday out in the desert, RHP Brandon White (4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K, 58 pitches/33 strikes) continued to be the top-performing Marlins pitcher in the Arizona Fall League. White used his full four-seamer/slider/changeup/curveball arsenal and lowered his ERA to 2.70. OF Andrew Pintar went 3-for-5 with two runs scored. The Peoria Javelinas lost, 8-5. In the Dominican Winter League, 1B Troy Johnston went 2-for-4 to extend his hit streak to seven games. 1B Deyvison De Los Santos is still slumping, now 1-for-15 on the young season with no extra-base hits. He's been rarely getting the ball out of the infield. Here's more Marlins news and content: 🔷 George Lombard seems to be the only managerial candidate who's in contention for both the Marlins and White Sox. Jon Heyman of the New York Post describes the Tigers bench coach as a "leading candidate" for the Sox along with Phil Nevin and Will Venable. Heyman also reports that former Marlin Avisaíl García underwent lower back surgery to treat a fracture and disc issue. It's unclear how long García was being impacted by that. After being released by the Fish in early June, he did not attempt to play for any minor league or independent league teams, and the timing of this surgery rules out the possibility of him participating in winter ball. 🔷 On this day 21 years ago, the Marlins clinched their second World Series title, winning Game 6 at Yankee Stadium on the strength of Josh Beckett's incredible shutout. Available now exclusively for our SuperSubs, here is a digital copy of Chapter 19 from the upcoming book Shocktober: The Biggest Upsets in World Series History. xy4igv.mp4 🔷 Kevin Barral ponders the opportunity for the Marlins to buy low on Yoán Moncada. The oft-injured third baseman will enter free agency once the White Sox decline his 2025 club option. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the home run ball that completed Shohei Ohtani's 50/50 season sold at auction for nearly $4.4M. It is the highest-priced ball of all-time. 🔷 Today's MLB postseason schedule: New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, 8:08 p.m. ET (World Series Game 1) View full article

Definitely a big deal whenever it's somebody who has been with the team for so long, built close relationships and produced results. Mel will be appreciated long after he's gone.

I am biased in this case by having much of my family based in New York, but distancing myself as much as possible from that, I think it's great to finally have a meeting between the teams who posted the best regular season records in their respective leagues. That rarely happens anymore with such an expanded playoff field. In addition to outspending their opponents, both teams can point to smart trades and player development practices that were pivotable to getting them over the hump. The quality of competition is going to be outstanding.

Today's news roundup also includes the passing of Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela. On Tuesday out in the desert, OF Kemp Alderman went 1-for-4 with a caught stealing and OF Andrew Pintar went 1-for-4. The Peoria Javelinas lost, 8-1. In the Dominican Winter League, 1B Troy Johnston went 2-for-4 with a walk. He has reached base safely in all six games, including hits in each of the last five. He also leads Toros del Este with five walks. Here's more Marlins news and content: 🔷 The Cardinals official hired Jon Jay as a coach on their major league staff (no specifics about his role beyond that). They also added 2023 Marlins hitting coach Brant Brown to serve them in the same position. This offseason, I'll be tracking the whereabouts of all former Marlins coaches here. 🔷 Four months removed from left hip femoral acetabular impingement surgery, OF Dillon Head has resumed swinging a bat as shared via Instagram. Head is expected to be 100% healthy come spring training. z4wlmc.mp4 🔷 Here is the debut article from new Fish On First intern @Sean McCormack! He expresses some concerns about FOF #3 prospect Deyvison De Los Santos. 🔷 Sandy Alcantara and his son attended Tuesday's Florida Panthers game. He had the honor of banging the drum pregame and swapping jerseys with captain Aleksander Barkov. 🔷 Alex Krutchik revisits the animosity between Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Miguel Rojas, whose teams are facing each other in the World Series. Rojas was sidelined for the NLCS with a sports hernia, but the Dodgers are considering activating him to contribute in a limited role. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Fernando Valenzuela died at the age of 63. In 1981, he had one of the most memorable rookie seasons in MLB history, winning the National League Cy Young award and a World Series title. Valenzuela spent 11 total seasons pitching for the Dodgers and rejoined the organization as a broadcaster after retirement. Mets pitcher Paul Blackburn underwent a cerebrospinal fluid leak repair. There's a chance for him to be ready by Opening Day. Nico Hoerner of the Cubs underwent right flexor tendon surgery. Rare to see that for a position player, and considering that it's Hoerner's throwing arm, his availability for the start of the season is in jeopardy. 🔷 Join us for a new episode of Fish On First LIVE tonight at 6:00 p.m. ET on YouTube/Twitter/Facebook. We'll catch up on all of the managerial/coaching news and rumors, fall/winter ball performances and preview the World Series. Marlins podcast episodes View full article

Jon Jay is the first ex-Marlins coach to land a job for the 2025 season. We'll be tracking the whereabouts of the entire outgoing coaching staff here. The Miami Marlins have cleaned house coming off an 100-loss season and that extends to the dugout. Hours after the 2024 season finale, they announced a mutual parting of ways with manager Skip Schumaker. Soon after, most of Schumaker's major-league coaches were informed that their time with the club is over as well. Where are they now? Updates will be added below as the MLB coaching carousel spins 'round and 'round. Skip Schumaker 2024: Marlins manager 2025: Senior advisor, baseball operations with the Rangers Luis Urueta 2024: Marlins bench coach 2025: Rangers bench coach Jon Jay 2024: Marlins first base/outfield coach 2025: Cardinals major-league coach Wellington Cepeda 2024: Marlins bullpen coach 2025: Diamondbacks bullpen/assistant pitching coach Standby for updates on: Rod Barajas (field coordinator), Griffin Benedict (third base coach), Rob Flippo (bullpen coordinator), Jason Hart (assistant hitting coach), John Mabry (hitting coach), Bill Mueller (assistant hitting coach), Jody Reed (infield coach) and Mel Stottlemyre Jr. (pitching coach). View full article

On Monday, Diamond Sports Group officially rebranded its regional affiliates from Bally Sports to FanDuel Sports Network. The television home of the Miami Marlins has yet another new name. Along with the 15 other regional sports networks under the Diamond Sports Group umbrella, Bally Sports Florida was rebranded on Monday. It is now FanDuel Sports Network Florida. The naming rights are part of a larger deal between Diamond Sports Group and the sports betting company to pull Diamond out of bankruptcy. The name change went into effect now to correspond with the start of the new NBA and NHL seasons, though Diamond is still awaiting a hearing in bankruptcy court scheduled for next month where a judge will rule whether or not their reorganization plan is financially viable. In 2024, Diamond was partnered with 12 Major League Baseball teams: the Marlins, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers. But that number is dropping moving forward. Only the Marlins and Braves are currently in agreement to stick with them for the 2025 season, a Diamond lawyer revealed in court on Friday. The Marlins recently renegotiated their pre-existing deal. Most of the teams listed above are still renegotiating theirs, while the Guardians, Brewers and Twins have cut ties with Diamond to have MLB take over production and distribution of their content. When the Florida Marlins were born in 1993, their games were shown locally on the Sunshine Network. Their schedule was shared by the Sunshine Network and SportsChannel Florida in 1997, then moved fully to the latter in 1998. As part of a merger between Cablevision and FOX Sports, SportsChannel Florida relaunched as FOX Sports Net Florida in 2000. The name was abbreviated to FSN Florida in 2004 and tweaked again in 2008 to FOX Sports Florida. Diamond Sports Group acquired the FOX Sports affiliates and sold naming rights to casino operator Bally's that took effect in 2021. The "Bally Sports Florida" name was supposed to last for 10 years, but that deal was scrapped during the bankruptcy proceedings. You got all of that? The channel number for FDSN Florida is unchanged following the rebrand. The Bally Sports app updated overnight and should work the same as it previously did. No word yet on which Marlins broadcasters will return in 2025. Play-by-play announcer Paul Severino is on an expiring contract, but the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson reported "there's no indication" that the network is looking to replace him. Oh yeah, and it's worth mentioning that you cannot even place bets on the FanDuel sportsbook from the state of Florida. Presumably in the foreseeable future, FanDuel anticipates opening operations in more states. In the meantime, it'll be awkward to see a product promoted heavily during Marlins broadcasts to an audience that doesn't use it. View full article

Based on how they conducted themselves over the last year, it's clear to me that this Marlins administration cares very little about PR. I don't think that is a worry with this process. The more valid concerns are leaning too much on personal connections when vetting candidates and whether whoever ultimately gets the job will receive real autonomy to make decisions (as opposed to follow all front office guidance).

I will take White. The one distinct advantage Snelling has is his command. I would much rather bet on the quality of a pitcher's stuff than their ability to locate because very subtle (even unintentional) mechanical changes can mess that up.

He definitely has value over the course of a season. There will inevitably be injuries, and realistically, unless the team takes an enormous leap from last year, there will be at least one midseason trade involving a veteran SP. There will be innings available for Bellozo to legitimize himself. I wouldn't mind his low velocity too much if he had an exceptional secondary pitch to put batters away. He hasn't shown that he does. Also, although consistently throwing strikes is valuable, his command to specific parts of the strike zone could use improvement too. I think it goes without saying that he if he shows up next season with zero adjustments/improvements to his game, the results will be worse than what he showed in 2024.

Absolutely. Even if the league finds its way to a peaceful and prosperous outcome in the long term, the whole second half of the 2020s is bound to be full of "headaches" in the meantime.

Both candidates are experienced major league coaches with connections to Marlins assistant general manager Gabe Kapler. Fish On First has learned of two more candidates in the search for the next Miami Marlins manager: Alyssa Nakken and George Lombard. The team is coordinating an interview with Lombard and may do the same with Nakken as well. The 49-year-old Lombard played in parts of six MLB seasons from 1998-2006. He has since gone on to have a lengthy coaching career, most recently serving as bench coach for the Detroit Tigers, who were eliminated from the postseason on Saturday. Lombard previously interviewed for the same position with the Marlins two years ago, according to Craig Mish. The job went to Skip Schumaker, who officially parted ways with the club on September 29 following their regular season finale. The Marlins' recent front office changes may work to Lombard's advantage. He and Marlins assistant general manager Gabe Kapler overlapped for several years in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization (when Lombard was their first base coach). The Lombard family already makes their offseason home in Miami. The connection between Kapler and Nakken is even more direct. She became the first full-time female coach in MLB history when Kapler added her to his San Francisco Giants staff in 2020. She interviewed for their managerial vacancy last October following Kapler's firing. The Giants hired Bob Melvin instead, but Nakken stayed as an assistant on his staff. The Marlins have not hesitated to promote qualified women to high-ranking positions in recent years. Kim Ng became the first-ever female MLB general manager in 2020, while Caroline O'Connor and Rachel Balkovec currently serve as Miami's president of business operations and director of player development, respectively. Another wrinkle to Nakken's candidacy: she would be easily the youngest active MLB manager at age 34. In addition to Lombard and Nakken, the Marlins are also interested in Cleveland Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz. Schumaker's former bench coach, Luis Urueta, is in the mix as well. View full article

The veteran center fielder would bolster a Marlins defense that ranked among MLB's worst in 2024. Fresh off a long postseason run with the New York Mets, Harrison Bader is set to become a free agent. Could Bader be a fit for the Miami Marlins entering 2025? Harrison Bader overview Previous teams: St. Louis Cardinals (2017-2022), New York Yankees (2022-2023), Cincinnati Reds (2023) and New York Mets (2024) MLB career: .242/.305/.392 slash line and 13,1 fWAR in 778 games 2024 season: .236/.284/.373 slash line and 1.3 fWAR in 138 games Entering age-31 season in 2025 More factors to consider Defense: Center field is the only position Bader has played since August 2018 when he got his first opportunity to be an everyday starter, and he remains remarkably consistent there. From his rookie year onward, Bader has perennially ranked in the 90th percentile or higher in outs above average, according to Baseball Savant. That includes 10 OAA (95th percentile) this season. He recorded only one outfield assist in over 1,000 innings as a Met, but he compensated for that with his elite range. Meanwhile, Marlins center fielders combined for only 1 OAA in 2024 (ranked 23rd out of 30 teams). Offensive drop-off: Even at his peak, the inconsistency of Bader's bat prevented him from sticking as an everyday guy throughout a full season. He is now pretty far removed from sniffing league-average production. Each of the last three seasons, he has posted a sub-.300 on-base percentage with an overall wRC+ of 85 or under. Bader was practically an automatic out this past August/September, hence why he seldom stepped to the plate during the postseason. There is hope that he could recapture some of his early-career form with a more disciplined plate approach. Platoon splits: Bader historically hits for good power against left-handed pitching. With the platoon advantage, he has a career slash line of .249/.315/.461 (109 wRC+) with 26 home runs in 676 plate appearances. He's just very volatile from year to year. 2c9dbba7-3c152b6a-f8f23991-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Postseason experience: Although his direct impact on the Mets' October success was minimal, at least Bader was along for the ride. He has played in five of the last six MLB postseasons with three different clubs. As currently constructed, the Marlins do not have anybody on their roster who knows what it's like to win a division title or reach a league championship series. Bader provides intangible value from that standpoint. Come the 2025 trade deadline, contenders—assuming the Marlins aren't one themselves—could take that into account when shopping for reliable role players. Price: After earning a $10.5M salary in 2024, Bader seems to be in line for a slight pay cut. Looking back at the 2022-23 offseason, I see the one-year contracts signed by Adam Duvall ($7M guaranteed) and Kevin Kiermaier ($9M) as close comps. Because Bader is younger than they were, let's go with the higher number. Would the Marlins be willing to bring in the journeyman on a one-year, $9M deal? Alternatives to Harrison Bader The Marlins have internal options who could be auditioned in center field instead, including Dane Myers, Kyle Stowers, Derek Hill, Javier Sanoja and Victor Mesa Jr. They all have Triple-A experience, but several would have to go back down to Jacksonville when the season begins if Bader was signed. That's fine, in my opinion. "Let the kids play" does not need to mean "only play kids" when realistically, none of them profile as everyday regulars at that position. Over the course of the season, hopefully they exceed expectations and then Bader's role can be adjusted accordingly. This free agent class is thin on notable alternatives to Bader. Cody Bellinger would be the clear No. 1 center fielder if he decides to opt out of his Chicago Cubs contract. It's safe to assume the Marlins won't be paying what it takes for him. Other than that, veterans Manuel Margot and Michael A. Taylor could be had on very cheap one-year deals. View full article

Today's news roundup also includes another notes from opening night in the Dominican Winter League. On Wednesday out in the desert, OF Andrew Pintar, OF Kemp Alderman and INF Jay Beshears were all in the Peoria Javelinas starting lineup, each reaching base safely at least once. RHP Brandon White (3.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 60 pitches/33 strikes) had mixed results in relief. Alderman was honored as the Arizona Fall League's co-Hitter of the Week. Leading 7-1 at one point, Peoria ultimately lost, 8-7. They now have a 2-6 record, which is worst in the AFL. It was also opening night for the Dominican Winter League (LIDOM). Marlins minor leaguers INF Deyvison De Los Santos (Gigantes del Cibao), 1B/OF Troy Johnston (Toros del Este), RHP Elvis Alvarado (Estrellas Orientales), RHP Austin Roberts (Gigantes) and RHP Anderson Pilar (Gigantes) are all on active rosters. Johnston started in right field and went 0-for-3 with a walk in his season debut. Alvarado and Pilar made one-inning relief appearances, with Alvarado striking out the side. Here's more Marlins news and content: 🔷 Alex Carver and Kevin Barral collaborated on their annual Swimming Upstream season-in-review super-pod. The first part includes analysis of key prospects from rookie ball through High-A. The second part of the conversation—covering prospects who were in the upper minors—will be available on Friday wherever you get your podcasts. 🔷 Additionally, Alex wrote about the breakout season of C Ryan Ignoffo, who had minimal experience behind the plate prior to 2024. 🔷 Jesús Luzardo and Anthony Bender visited patients at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital on Monday as part of a collaboration between the Marlins and AutoNation to fund cancer research. hRsfuN3oQ8rCKe9v.mp4 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf is in "active discussions" with a group led by Dave Stewart regarding the possibility of selling the franchise, according to The Athletic's Brittany Ghiroli. Reinsdorf has owned the Sox since 1981. He has yet to address the report publicly. The Dodgers took a 2-1 lead in the NLCS, shutting out their opponent for the fourth time in their last five games. Shohei Ohtani homered in the eighth inning to fully put the game out of reach. 🔷 Today's MLB postseason schedule: New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Guardians, 5:08 p.m. ET (ALCS Game 3) Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets, 8:08 p.m. ET (NLCS Game 4) Marlins podcast episodes View full article

Today's news roundup also includes a pair of Marlins earning spots on the 2024 MLB All-Rookie Team. On Tuesday, Rawlings announced the 2024 Gold Glove Award finalists. The Marlins' best defensive player, Otto Lopez, was not included among the three NL second base finalists—he was edged out by Ketel Marte, Brice Turang and Bryson Stott via a combination of manager/coach balloting and the SABR Defensive Index. Lopez was not an everyday player throughout the season, but based on my understanding of the criteria, he was eligible for the award . Every major league coaching staff got to see Lopez play second base in person at various points and he graded out extremely well statistically, so this is a bummer. The last full-season Marlins player to win a Gold Glove was Marcell Ozuna in 2017. Using that as an endpoint, this is the longest drought the franchise has ever had between Gold Glovers. However, Adam Duvall won the 2021 NL Gold Glove as a right fielder, a season he began in Miami and finished with the Braves. He played 96.6% of his RF innings as a Marlin (primarily being deployed in LF/CF with Atlanta). Should that count? Anyway, in the desert, LHP Patrick Monteverde (3.0 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 61 pitches/42 strikes) allowed three home runs. In relief, LHP Justin Storm (0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 32 pitches/18 strikes) did not fare any better. On the brighter side, CF Andrew Pintar went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases. The Peoria Javelinas lost, 19-9. You can watch the full game broadcast here. Here's more Marlins news and content: 🔷 At least Otto Lopez got some recognition from MLB Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo, who picked Lopez as the first-team second baseman on his MLB All-Rookie Team. Double play partner Xavier Edwards was also included as the second-team designated hitter (amusing considering he did not start a single Marlins game at DH). 🔷 Happy 23rd birthday to LHP Dax Fulton. Fulton looked to be a vital piece of the Marlins' pitching future two years ago after leading the entire farm system in strikeouts. Alas, he's been sidelined by elbow issues since early 2023. In his minor league career, Fulton has posted a 4.27 ERA and 3.72 FIP in 229 ⅔ innings pitched (51 G/48 GS). 0ckx8x_1.mp4 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Rays have determined that Tropicana Field—its roof torn apart last week by Hurricane Milton—will not be ready to host Opening Day, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Numerous options could be in consideration to serve as the team's temporary home. Aside from Tropicana, loanDepot park is the MLB ballpark next closest to Tampa, though most of the originally scheduled Marlins and Rays home games for the 2025 season fall on the same dates. The Yankees defeated the Guardians again, building a 2-0 lead in the ALCS. The Phillies extended manager Rob Thomson through the 2026 season and announced that his entire major league coaching staff is set to return in 2025. 🔷 Today's MLB postseason schedule: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets, 8:08 p.m. ET (NLCS Game 3) View full article