Managerial neophyte for Miami Marlins
MIAMI — Even the mother of the Miami Marlins’ new manager is questioning the wisdom of the choice.
Marlins general manager Dan Jennings was selected Monday to replace Mike Redmond in the dugout. Jennings has 31 years of experience in professional baseball, but he never played in the majors and has never managed.
“It is outside the box, I will not deny that,” Jennings said at a news conference. “My mom, whom I love deeply, asked me, ‘Are you crazy? Have you lost your mind?’ ”
Redmond was fired one-quarter of the way into his third season Sunday after the Marlins were nearly no-hit in a 6-0 loss to Atlanta. The defeat dropped Miami to 16-22, but team president David Samson said a change had been in the works since the Marlins started 3-11.
Jennings’ first game was Monday night at home against Arizona.
The shakeup was the latest orchestrated by owner Jeffrey Loria, reinforcing his reputation for impatience. Jennings is Loria’s sixth manager since June 2010.
No other candidates were considered, Samson said, in part because the Marlins have gone through so many managers already.
“There’s nowhere else to look anymore,” Samson conceded.
Former players have become firsttime managers in the majors, but the move from the front office to the dugout is unusual.
Outside observers weren’t the only ones surprised by the choice of Jennings.
“The first thought was, ‘What’s going on here?’ It’s only natural for the players to have that, too,” slugger Giancarlo Stanton said. “But you’ve got to realize what’s positive about this, and know he’s a baseball guy who’s here to turn us around.”