It was sad to see the Miami Marlins needing a new manager. The fan favorite Skip Schumaker is no longer with the team. He's now with the Texas Rangers. Peter Bendix has been trying to hire a new manager for quite some time, he finally did. The Fish now have a new manager and his name is Clayton McCullough. He was the right choice for the job.
Clayton McCullough is the new manager for the Miami Marlins.
There were quite a few candidates for the Miami Marlins managerial job. Cleveland Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz was one option, but he ultimately chose to stay with them. Will Venable was a top candidate for the job as well, but he ended up accepting a worse position with the Chicago White Sox. Clayton McCullough has been a candidate the whole time, but seemed to be more of an under the radar option unlike the others.
McCullough is interestingly living in Jupiter, Florida. This means that in a way he chose to manager his home team. So you might be wondering who he is right? McCullough used to be a Minor League catcher with the Cleveland Guardians. He played there from 2002 to 2005 and actually became a coach at the early age of 27. He ended up managing with the Toronto Blue Jays and not Cleveland however. He ended up moving up managing their AAA teams before moving on to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
McCullough has been the first base coach for the Dodgers since 2021. He also won the World Series with the team this season, as LA won a memorable Series against the New York Yankees in five games. He was a candidate for multiple teams, such as the Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets.
He was in fact a finalist in Kansas City last season... Clayton McCullough has never managed in the Minor Leagues, but I really see potential with him managing the Miami Marlins in his first gig. we'll find out how he'll do in the 2025 season next year. I'm excited.