MIAMI – It didn’t take long, but the Miami Marlins have found a new manager.
Less than three weeks after playing their final game of a disappointing 2022 season in which Miami won just 69 games, the club has found the man it hopes will lead the team back to the postseason.
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The Marlins have hired Skip Schumaker to be the team’s next skipper, news that was first reported by insider Craig Mish.
“After an extensive process, it is with great pride and excitement that we announce Skip Schumaker as Manager of the Miami Marlins as we welcome him, his wife, Lindsey, and children, Presley and Brody, to the Marlins family,” Marlins owner Bruce Sherman said in a statement released by the team. “Skip has a long list of distinguished accomplishments as both a player and a coach that showcase the remarkable individual he is as well as the high level of credibility and leadership he will bring to the dugout and the Marlins organization. He has an incredible passion and winning spirit that will set the course for the Marlins franchise.”
Schumaker, 42, replaces Don Mattingly, who had been the team’s manager for the previous seven seasons. The two sides mutually agreed to part ways at the end of the season, when Mattingly’s contract expired.
Previously working as the bench coach for the St. Louis Cardinals, Schumaker spent part of 11 seasons as an MLB infielder and outfielder. He won two World Series titles while with the Cardinals as a player in 2006 and 2011.
Prior to becoming St. Louis’ bench coach last season, Schumaker spent several years working his way up the San Diego Padres coaching tree, first serving as first base coach in 2018 and 2019 before becoming an associate manager in 2020 and 2021.
“As we continue to grow as an organization, we felt it was important to find an individual who had been a part of a winning culture,” said Marlins General Manager Kim Ng. “Having been a member of two championship teams, along with his reputation for tenacity and getting every ounce out of his ability, Skip will be a tremendous example to our players. His leadership style, teaching skills and attention to detail made him the clear choice as the club’s new manager.”
The Marlins have made the playoffs just three times in the team’s history, winning the World Series in 1997 and 2003. They also qualified for the playoffs in 2020, losing to the Atlanta Braves in the Divisional Series.
“I’m very excited and grateful that Bruce, Kim, and the Marlins organization have given me an opportunity to manage a very talented team,” Schumaker said. “Delivering a winning, sustainable culture with the expectation of getting into the postseason is the next step for this organization and South Florida – and I can’t wait to get started.”