Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Marlins man
CEO Derek Jeter has made his first significant hire.
Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter has made his first significant hire: Gary Denbo, his longtime mentor from their New York Yankees days, sources told the Sun Sentinel on Monday
Denbo, 56, will oversee the Marlins’ player development and amateur scouting departments, though his exact title — vice president, as one source suggested, or director, as multiple reports said — is unclear. With the Yankees, Denbo was vice president of player development, overseeing a farm system widely seen as one of the best in baseball.
The move is a major one for Jeter, who officially took over last week as the Marlins’ chief executive and is expected to make several higher-up front-office additions following the dismissal of four baseball-operations vice presidents.
Denbo fills at least one of those holes. A week ago, at his introductory news conference, Jeter said the role Denbo now holds is an important one.
“We do have to rebuild the organization. It starts with player development, scouting,” Jeter said. “We have to be strong in those areas, because if you’re going to have a sustainable organization over time, you need that pipeline of young players that can come in.”
Denbo’s new role is similar to the one former team executive Jim Fleming had through 2011. It’s not clear what Denbo’s hiring means for Stan Meek, the Marlins’ vice president of scouting whose contract is up.
The relationship between Jeter and Denbo dates back to Jeter’s minor league days in the early 1990s, when Denbo was a coach in the Yankees’ minor league system.
Since 1990, Denbo has had three stints and many roles with the Yankees, including major league hitting coach (in 2001), hitting coordinator (about a decade ago) and vice president of player development (since October 2014). In between, he also worked as a pro scout for the Cleveland Indians and as a hitting coach in Japan and for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Promoted to run the Yankees’ farm system three years ago, Denbo helped it transform from perennially empty to among the best in the game. That drastic improvement was aided by the trades of several veteran major leaguers a little over a year ago, a path similar to the one the rebuilding Marlins could follow this offseason.
Denbo helped a slumping, injured Jeter with his swing in 2011. Jeter said at the time that Denbo “probably knows me more than most.”
Most recently, Jeter has helped Denbo in recent years with the Yankees’ annual Captain’s Camp, a prespring training program meant to aid the development of the organization’s top prospects.
In April, when it first appeared Jeter’s group was close to buying the Marlins, Denbo raved to NJ.com about Jeter as a team owner.
“Derek has an excellent chance at being a successful owner because he possesses the qualities necessary to lead,” Denbo said.
“He is a man of high integrity, treats people with respect, builds great relationships, communicates effectively and is committed to excellence. … His reputation as a winner will attract top-notch talent to his organization.”
Stanton up for Aaron award
Giancarlo Stanton is the Miami Marlins’ finalist for the 2017 Hank Aaron Award, which honors the most outstanding offensive performer in each major league.
That is the latest recognition in what is shaping up to be a busy award season for Stanton following his historic season. He led the majors in home runs (59) and RBI (132) and the NL in slugging percentage (.631) while hitting .281 with a .376 OBP. Stanton’s homer total was tied for the ninth highest in a season in major league history, and his RBI total was a Marlins singleseason record.
MLB created the Hank Aaron Award in 1999, in honor of the 25th anniversary of Aaron passing Babe Ruth as baseball’s all-time home run leader.
Each team gets a finalist. Among the 30 finalists, Stanton and five others have previously won the award: Mike Trout, Josh Donaldson, Paul Goldschmidt, Joey Votto and Buster Posey.
Winners will be determined by a panel of Hall of Famers and a fan vote (through Oct. 13). The panel is Hank Aaron, Roberto Alomar, Johnny Bench, Craig Biggio, Ken Griffey Jr., Eddie Murray and Robin Yount.
Stanton won in 2014, when he finished second in NL MVP voting. Stanton is, of course, a primary candidate for NL MVP again this year. Results of voting for that award, done by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America before the start of the postseason, will be revealed in mid-November.
Winners of the Hank Aaron Award will be announced during the World Series later this month.
“We do have to rebuild the organization. It starts with player development.” Derek Jeter, Marlins CEO