Mike Redmond entering unknown territory with the Miami Marlins

The 2015 season will be pivotal for the Miami Marlins. The team has made a long-standing financial commitment to team star Giancarlo Stanton, attempted to extend numerous young players, and invested in veterans via free agency and trades. All of these moves were done with the expectation that the Marlins will contend in 2015.

That’s a lot of pressure for Marlins manager Mike Redmond, who entered his third season with the club and must now turn his collection of young and talented players into a team that can challenge the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves for the National League East title.

However, expectations come with a certain number of strings attached, and if the Marlins are in a pivotal situation, you can imagine that Redmond’d status is even more so.

As mentioned before, Redmond is entering his third season. Having put together a 139-185 record in the first two and never having finished higher than fourth in the division is pressure enough. Couple that with the additions the team made in the offseason, and that’s a veritable hot seat.

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Mike Redmond needs to deliver a division title or he could be gone at season’s end, or earlier.

That’s not me just taking a flyer on Redmond’s future either. History is not on his side.

If you examine the 22-year history of the Florida/Miami Marlins, you’ll notice one startling consistency. The team has had the same manager at the helm for three full seasons just twice; the team’s first manager, Rene Lachemann, as well as Fredi Gonzalez, who may have received a longer leash due to the Joe Girardi debacle. Gonzalez did manage to get the team to a second place finish in 2009, but a slow start the following season ultimately cost him his job.

Under current ownership, i.e. Jeffery Loria, the lifespan of a non-interim manager has been just 1.83 seasons, with 6 different full-time managers having been hired by Loria since he purchased the team in 2003. That would seem to indicate the patience is not a virtue under the Florida sun, and certainly doesn’t bode well for Mike Redmond.

Of course, a lot can be said for relationship too, and by all accounts Mike Redmond seems to enjoy a solid relationship with his boss and has a good rapport with his players. However, at some point the on-field record has to catch up with the man’s accomplishments in the clubhouse.

That all said, the Miami Marlins have the talent on the field to put together a contender in 2015, and that will certainly make Mike Redmond a happy man. However, a slow start may be a tough hurdle to overcome under an owner with very narrow tunnel vision.

Next: Can the Marlins get a repeat performance from Henderson Alvarez?

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