Is a culture like Yankees possible here?

Don Mattingly has been managing the Miami Marlins since 2016. The franchise is going into its third season under CEO Derek Jeter, and he has Jorge Posada on board as a special advisor to baseball operations.

The trio of former New York Yankees greats can incorporate much of what they learned from playing for baseball’s winningest franchise to turn around the Marlins, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2003.

Of course, the franchises differ immensely. The Yankees with their 27 World Series titles while contending year after year with attendance that ranks toward the top of the MLB and the league’s highest payroll. The Marlins, meanwhile, ranked last in attendance in 2019 and their 2020 payroll is the lowest in baseball.

Despite those differences, Mattingly feels there are other areas the Marlins can target.

“We’ve been working hard to change the culture,” Mattingly said in a web conference with reporters on Tuesday. “Honestly, I’ve been trying that from the beginning — just to make sure the culture’s good, that guys want to be here, that we’re playing the game right, preparing for games. Making sure that keeps evolving, and I think that’s just continued over the last couple of years.

“You probably don’t necessarily see it. You’re obviously not seeing it on wins on the scoreboard, but the way you’re treating guys, the way you’re preparing, the way you’re bringing guys up through development, those are all important things as part of that culture.”

In the offseason, the Marlins signed a number of veterans to complement the youth on the roster, including catcher Francisco Cervelli, who played for the Yankees from 2008 through 2014 and backed up Posada early in his career.

“The Yankees, of course, was my school — best school I ever had — and Jorge [Posada] was my first teacher,” said the 34-year-old Cervelli. “I grew up in an organization where it’s a winning mentality. They don’t let you focus on only individual things. It’s all about collectively, so I come here to share my experience and what I know, and learn with the young guys.”

Offseason acquisitions like Cervelli, versatile leadoff hitter Jonathan Villar, first baseman Jesus Aguilar, outfielders Corey Dickerson and Matt Joyce and relievers Brandon Kintzler and Yimi Garcia are immediately some of the most experienced big leaguers on the club.

“You want guys that are good people, that are going to be helpful, like a guy like Cervi,” Mattingly said. “Those guys have to be leaders and be willing to help other guys and be good examples for our young guys that are coming up. You don’t want bad examples and guys that don’t do it right around those guys.”

Mattingly spoke to the importance of building that atmosphere from the minor leagues on up. “It has to be a culture that starts from the second you step into the organization,” he said. “What’s expected of you as a Marlin, what we value as far as being a good teammate and being a part of the community, your responsibilities to each other.”