Miami Marlins' new manager Skip Schumaker 'learned being on championship teams'

Say this about the Miami Marlins, they conducted a comprehensive managerial search.

General manager Kim Ng met with about 10 candidates, and four finalists received second interviews: Skip Schumaker (St. Louis Cardinals bench coach), Matt Quatraro (Tampa Bay Rays bench coach), Luis Rojas (New York Yankees third base coach) and Joe Espada (Houston Astros bench coach).

After an exhaustive search, the Marlins announced Schumaker will be replacing Don Mattingly, who solidified the position the past seven seasons.

By all accounts, Schumaker is a solid choice. A fierce competitor as a former big league player, the 42-year-old has the reputation of being a fiery coach.

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“Bright guy,” longtime scout Marty Maier told The Palm Beach Post. “High baseball IQ. I think he’s going to be a guy who blends [old school ways and analytics]. He picks things up quickly.”

With more than 40 years as a professional scout, Maier spent two decades with the St. Louis Cardinals before moving on to the Cincinnati Reds. Maier scouted Schumaker as a high school star in Southern California and later at the University of California-Santa Barbara.

In his 11-year big league career, Schumaker was part of two World Series title teams with the Cardinals (2006, 2011). He played for Hall of Fame manager Tony LaRussa.

“He learned being on championship teams,” Maier said. “He kept getting better and better. Coming off the bench, you had to be a student of the game.”

By all accounts, Schumaker is deserving of his first big league managerial opportunity.

“Having been a member of two championship teams, along with his reputation for tenacity and getting every ounce out of his ability, Skip will be a tremendous example for our players,” Ng said in a statement released by the club.

Still, the question needs to be asked: Did the Marlins get it right?

Quite honestly, we would be hearing high praises if the Marlins went with any of their final four. Espada, who formerly worked for the Marlins and understands the challenges of the market, is coaching in the World Series with the Astros. Quatraro is a part of a Rays’ system that keeps reaching the postseason. Rojas is a former MLB manager with the New York Mets, and he was just in the American League Championship Series with the Yankees.

The bottom line with the Marlins is they need more than a new voice from a manager. They need to provide Schumaker with the necessary resources to realistically compete for a playoff spot. It doesn’t appear ownership is ready to spend top dollar in free agency, and trading pitching depth is risky because they may need most of their young arms to compete.

As the roster currently stands, the Marlins' offense ranked 28th in runs (586), the bullpen ERA (4.15) was 22nd in the majors and the farm system lacks big league-ready position depth.

Yes, there is high-end pitching such as All-Star Sandy Alcantara and top prospect Eury Perez, and that’s clearly what the organization is selling.

Alcantara is weeks away from likely being named the National League Cy Young Award winner. Pablo Lopez completed his first healthy season, while Jesus Luzardo and Edward Cabrera each showed promise.

Pitching isn’t the problem. And the Marlins are working toward bringing back respected pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr.

All-Star second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. is their centerpiece position player, but after that, there are no sure bets.

The Marlins have plenty of work ahead, but internally, they feel the team is close to turning things around. Now with the expanded wild card format, they see that an 87-win Philadelphia Phillies team has reached the World Series. So, they’re thinking, “Why not us?”

This is where the challenge lies for Schumaker.

Ng is in the final year of her contract, and there is an urgency to win now. This is not a rebuilding situation. Alcantara is not expected to be traded.

Obviously, some moves likely will be made, but the Marlins will be banking on players already on the roster or close to big league-ready to perform.

Different hitting mentality coming in 2023

Internally, the Marlins have an urgency to adopt a different hitting mentality. They’ll focus on putting the ball in play more after ranking ninth out of 30 teams in striking out (1,429).

This means Schumaker and his staff will be tasked with a big part of player development. This will put plenty of pressure on the hitting coaches.

In terms of having a new voice, Schumaker promises to provide plenty of energy.

To longtime Marlins’fans, this hiring compares to 2006 when Joe Girardi, then regarded as an up-and-coming manager candidate, replaced sagely, cigar-smoking Jack McKeon.

Mattingly’s temperament was more even keel, and his calmness was sometimes seen as complacent.

Schumaker appears to be more of a rah-rah style.

“Delivering a winning, sustainable culture with the expectation of getting into the postseason is the next step for this organization and South Florida," he said. "I can’t wait to get started.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Marlins new manager Skip Schumaker replaces Don Mattingly