After firing manager Mike Redmond over the weekend, the Miami Marlins have decided to hire within to fill the position. That’s something MLB teams often do, but the Marlins did it in a way that only the Marlins could do it.
They’ve hired their general manager to serve as their field manager.
Dan Jennings, who was named Miami’s GM before the 2014 season and has been with the organization since 2002, is now in charge of more than just assembling a team. He’s also responsible for setting lineups, making pitching changes and overseeing practices.
You want to guess how much professional playing and managing experience Jennings has? None, of course. He has scouting experience and has evaluated player talent for many years, but Jennings has never played or coached in a major league game. In fact, the last time he coached baseball at all was 30 years ago at a high school in Alabama.
After Redmond was fired, it looked like the Marlins would end up having to pay three managers at once when they made their new hire. They still owe Redmond money and were already paying former manager Ozzie Guillen some of his remaining salary. Instead of dealing with that, the Marlins simply appointed Jennings.
As Dave Hyde of the South Florida Sun Sentinel notes, Jennings will be the first MLB manager with no playing or coaching experience. Bobby Cox came down from his position as GM with the Atlanta Braves to manage the team in 1990, but he had managed in the big leagues before that.
Dan Jennings will be Giancarlo Stanton's 8th major league manager. Giancarlo Stanton is 25 years old.
— Rich MacLeod (@richmacleod) May 18, 2015
The only thing the Marlins have going for them at the moment is that they have a superstar who is signed for the long term and can do this to a baseball. Other than that, they’re the closest thing to a reality TV show that you can get.
