Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Empty house
Marlins GM Derek Jeter says the team will honestly report numbers while working to improve attendance.
MIAMI — Marlins CEO Derek Jeter said Friday his focus is on getting more fans into the ballpark rather than inflating attendance figures to mask embarrassingly small crowds.
The first three games of the current homestand drew paid attendance of 7,003, 6,516 and 6,150, the three smallest reported totals since Marlins Park opened in 2012, which received widespread media play.
However, similar-size crowds were reported significantly higher under previous ownership.
“I’ve seen that’s gotten a lot of attention,” Jeter said before Friday’s series opener against the Pirates. “Put it this way, one of the qualities of running a firstclass organization is honesty . ... Reporting paid attendance as the number of tickets sold is the way we’re going to report it. Our focus will continue to be on increasing the turnstile numbers here at Marlins Park.”
Regarding how such paltry attendance figures may reflect on the organization, Jeter reiterated, “We’re going to report tickets sold as our paid attendance. I don’t want to get into what was done in the past, but that’s how we’re going to do it here.
“We’re not happy with it. We have to grow those numbers. But I think reporting it that way gives us an opportunity to show some growth over time.”
Jeter finds himself in a situation with the Marlins which is the antithesis of the fishbowl atmosphere he played in during his 20-year career with the Yankees, who never suffer from apathy or lack of attention.
Consideration of that prompted the former Yankee captain to let it be known that he will not accompany the Marlins to New York for the upcoming series against the Yankees on Monday and Tuesday.
“It would be an awkward situation for me to actually go to Yankee Stadium,” he said. “I’m just being honest with you guys, that’s why I’m not going. I knew it was going to be a story one way or the other, so I might as well get out in front of it and say I’m not going. I will not be there.”
Jeter has shown a determination for building fan and business support of his new team by spending as much time in the community as possible. He visited a school Friday to distribute tickets to kids for Sunday’s game, which is Autism Awareness Day.
Despite the record-low official attendance figures so far, he said: “After the first homestand our turnstile numbers were higher this year than they were last year. We’re on pace after the second homestand to have our turnstile numbers higher this year than they were last year.
“Any complimentary tickets that we give out, we’re going to do it in an impactful way, and we’re going to help grow the game of baseball here in South Florida. We will continue to report tickets sold.”
Pointing to progress on the business side of the operation, Jeter continued, “We have 24 new corporate partners. We’ve spent quite a lot of time over the past seven months going out there telling our story, what our plans are as an organization moving forward.
“I’ve talked to a lot of the season-ticket holders. Yeah, people vent their frustrations, that’s what fans do. But we have people who believe in what we’re doing here in this organization, and the number of new partners that we have is an example.”
Jeter said efforts to improve the in-game experience include the kids’ zone in center field and the Fifth Base tent with pre-and postgame entertainment on the West Plaza. He invited suggestions through the team’s Dimelo campaign.
The 14-time All-Star said it has been difficult watching as a rebuilding Marlins club got off to a 3-9 start, but he is preaching patience in that regard as well.
“I like the grit, the fight the team has shown. We’ve tied or had the lead in 10 of the 12 games,” he said. “I don’t think you ever try to judge a start or judge a player over a 12-game stretch. You at least let it go three or four weeks before you start passing judgment.”
Cooper on 60-day DL
Just as several key players are progressing toward returning from injuries, outfielder Garrett Cooper was placed on the 60-day disabled list due to a right wrist injury that has proved more serious than it initially appeared.
Cooper, who was hit by a Kyle Hendricks pitch on March 30, has been diagnosed with a partial tear of the tendon sheath. Surgery is not planned, but the injury will require at least six week to heal.
Lee to Triple-A
Rookie outfielder Braxton Lee was optioned to New Orleans so he can continue his development by playing regularly.
JB Shuck, who has 364 games of big-league experience with four teams, was added to the roster as the fourth outfielder and started Friday. Shuck, a career .251 hitter, last played in the majors for the White Sox in 2016.