The Miami Marlins are hiring Los Angeles Dodgers first-base coach Clayton McCullough as their next manager, league sources confirmed to The Athletic on Sunday, concluding the franchise’s search to replace 2023 NL manager of the year Skip Schumaker.
ESPN first reported the hire.
McCullough has been a member of the Dodgers organization for a decade, working with now-Marlins assistant general manager Gabe Kapler in the organization’s player development system before spending the last four seasons on Dave Roberts’ staff.
McCullough was popular with Dodgers stars, with Mookie Betts calling him one of his favorite ever coaches and picking McCullough to throw to him in the 2023 Home Run Derby. It was McCullough who also was credited with Shohei Ohtani’s development as a base-stealer in his first season in Los Angeles, working closely with the two-way star as he authored the first 50-50 season in baseball history.
The Marlins targeted McCullough early in their process, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, speaking twice with the 44-year-old ahead of the Dodgers’ World Series run before visiting him in his Jupiter, Fla., home after the Dodgers clinched the title. He will replace Schumaker, who left the organization after the expiration of his contract. Schumaker led the Marlins to their first full-season postseason run in 20 years in 2023, and went 146-178 (.451) over two seasons in the role with Miami.
Peter Bendix, hired as the Marlins’ president of baseball operations last winter, now has his hand-picked manager.
McCullough had been seen as a future manager for years, interviewing for the New York Mets’ opening after the 2021 season as well as openings for the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians in recent seasons. He also was a candidate this winter for the Chicago White Sox’s managerial opening that went to Will Venable.
After reaching the postseason last year, the Marlins had turnover in the front office, with Kim Ng leaving her post as general manager upon Bendix’s hiring. Schumaker and Miami later agreed to void the option on his contract for 2025, setting him up to explore outside opportunities.
The Marlins got off to a bad start to the 2024 season and traded Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres after five weeks. The Marlins eventually sold at the trade deadline, shipping off Jazz Chisholm Jr., A.J. Puk, Josh Bell, Trevor Rogers and others. They finished the season in fifth place in the NL East with a 62-100 record.
(Photo of Clayton McCullough, right, with Shohei Ohtani: Jonathan Hui / Imagn Images)
