After spending several years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Clayton McCullough learned what it takes to succeed in baseball. Now, after being hired by the Miami Marlins as their 17th manager in franchise history, McCullough is ready to bring that winning knowledge to Miami.
McCullough was hired this month after a few discussions with Marlins executives, and he quickly felt that he could help guide the team in the right direction.
“As I got a chance to talk with Peter (Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix) about his vision for what was going to be going on here,” McCullough said, “the importance of culture, the importance of people — certainly, winning — it felt right.”
The Marlins officially introduced McCullough, who had been the first base coach for the Dodgers since 2021, as their new manager on Monday. The team hopes he will play a central role in their rebuilding effort.
Miami had a tough season, finishing with a 62-100 record, marking their second 100-loss season in the past six years.
Looking ahead, the Marlins traded away many of their best players for younger, more affordable prospects. They also decided to part ways with 2023 NL Manager of the Year Skip Schumaker at the end of the season.
Marlins owner Bruce Sherman emphasized that he wanted more than just another short-term manager. “I don’t want an 18th manager,” he said. “I want a 17th manager to stay for many, many years.”
McCullough had multiple video calls with Bendix and other team executives over the past month, including a meeting in person at his home in Jupiter, Florida, right after the Dodgers won the World Series. He also traveled to Miami for a dinner with everyone.
“As I went through it, my comfort level with everyone and everything just raised,” McCullough said. “And I left that night after dinner driving back to Jupiter going ‘I hope this is something that I can get through the finish line and will happen.’”
McCullough is joining the Marlins after being part of an organization that spent heavily to build a championship-caliber team. The Marlins, on the other hand, operate with a much lower budget, with one of the smallest payrolls in MLB. They are expected to spend about $31.5 million next season.
“There’s a lot of different ways to win,” McCullough said. “There’s no guarantee that just because you have a higher payroll that it’s guaranteed you’re going to win. Successful teams are all very much committed to the attention to detail. They are committed to their preparation. They are committed to each and every day taking one step forward.”
McCullough is not discouraged by the Marlins’ rebuilding phase.
“At my core I have always loved player development,” he said. “For me, at the major league level, this is less about inexperienced or younger players or veteran players. I’ve found that major league players want to be coached. They want to get better. I think that is somewhat independent of experience level.”
McCullough, who grew up in Oxford, North Carolina, became interested in baseball by watching his father, Howard, who coached at the University of North Carolina and worked as a scout for several major league teams.
McCullough spent one season at Vanderbilt before transferring to East Carolina University. He was drafted by Cleveland in the 22nd round in 2002 and played in their minor league system from 2002 to 2005.
McCullough later managed in the Blue Jays’ minor league system for seven years. In 2015, he joined the Dodgers as their minor league field coordinator before becoming their first base coach. He credits Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and former Blue Jays coach Luis Rivera as key mentors.
Bendix said McCullough was the right choice for the Marlins because of his “patience, consistency and genuine care for people around him, not just as players, but as people.”
Sherman mentioned that the search for a new manager was “complicated” and included other candidates like former Cleveland Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz and Will Venable, a former associate manager for Texas.
“This just fits,” Sherman said. “And when I saw that fit, then I knew it was right.”
