Miami Marlins Morning Catch: Introducing the Marlin Maniac Podcast!

We have some great news out of Marlin Maniac! We have a podcast now! Now, not only can you read our insight on the team, but you can also listen to our writers talk about the Miami Marlins.

Marlins manager change: Jeffrey Loria still impeding team stability

Michael Jong, Fishstripes

Did it surprise anyone that Mike Redmond received a contract extension late last September in large part because the Miami Marlins had overachieved in an expected down year? Redmond was somehow credited for a superstar, MVP-caliber healthy season from Giancarlo Stanton and the best young outfield trio in baseball coming together nicely. While Redmond likely had something to do with the team’s success, the casual reader probably figured owner Jeffrey Loria saw the 78-win season and thought back to his expectations before the year and made an emotional decision to commit to Redmond.

So it almost certainly did not surprise anyone that, after the Marlins entered 2015 as dark-horse Wild Card contenders and struggled to a 3-10 record out of the gate, the rumors quickly began flying about Redmond’s job status. Never mind the recent extension and the implied strong vote of confidence. If you begin the season poorly and you were expected to do well, Loria has little patience for your efforts. (Read More Here)

DON’T BE QUICK TO JUDGE JENNINGS HIRE

Brian Kenny, Sports on Earth

So, everyone is seemingly outraged by the Miami Marlins naming their GM Dan Jennings as manager. My pal Ken Rosenthal is calling it “an insult,” writing that it’s “a slap at every person qualified to be a major-league manager.” I’ve also seen the move described as “bizarre,” “impetuous” and “terrible.” It seems most think a guy who has spent years in the front office couldn’t possibly have the ability to manage.

Has everyone lost their minds?

This is the same mindset that kept baseball in the dark ages for decades: thinking that the skills required for managing a baseball team are the exclusive territory of those who played Major League baseball, and that the game can’t possibly be understood by someone who didn’t. (Read More Here)

The Marlins, Managers, and the Changing Game

Dave Cameron, Fangraphs

On Sunday, the Marlins fired manager Mike Redmond. It’s what teams do when they find themselves performing worse than expected, even if expectations of contention were probably less realistic than the hype would have suggested. The manager is the fall guy when things go badly, though, and things are going badly in Miami, so Redmond was shown the door. It’s how baseball works, especially baseball in Miami, and Redmond certainly knew what he was signing up for when he took the job.

On Monday, though, things took a turn away from the norm. Instead of promoting a minor league manager, or one of the team’s remaining coaches, or even turning to a former player who was being groomed as a manager-of-the-future, the Marlins just put their General Manager in charge of the clubhouse. Dan Jennings, the guy who built this roster, is now tasked with trying to turn it into a winner on the field. After years of ranting that analytical GMs were undermining the value of the manager’s role, it turns out to be an old-school scout who is going to try to run everything all at once. The irony is delicious. (Read More Here)

FIXING THE MIAMI MARLINS

Andrew Simon, Sports on Earth

Less than two months ago, the Marlins appeared to be a team on the rise. After improving from 62 to 77 wins the previous season, they came into 2015 with their franchise player locked up to a long-term deal and surrounded with new talent. Expectations surged, perhaps unrealistically, and the Fish became a trendy pick to make a postseason run.

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Of course, real baseball games have a way of interfering quickly.

Miami started 3-11, surged back to .500, then hit another rough patch. After falling to 16-22 on Sunday, the Marlins dismissed manager Mike Redmond. On Monday, they introduced their new skipper, Dan Jennings, a longtime baseball man and the team’s GM since the end of the 2013 season. Jennings has never coached above high school or played professionally, though that doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t do the job capably. (Read More Here)

Next: Is Dan Jennings the Answer?

Marlins manager change: Jeffrey Loria still impeding team stability

DON’T BE QUICK TO JUDGE JENNINGS HIRE

The Marlins, Managers, and the Changing Game

FIXING THE MIAMI MARLINS

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