Source: Miami Marlins to hire Clayton McCullough as manager - ESPN

The Miami Marlins are hiring former Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough as their new manager, a source familiar with the situation told ESPN on Sunday.

McCullough, 44, spent the last four seasons on Dave Roberts' coaching staff in L.A., the last of which ended in a championship. He succeeds Skip Schumaker, who was not brought back at the end of his contract and has since joined the Texas Rangers' front office as a senior advisor to president of baseball operations Chris Young.

A career minor league catcher, McCullough managed in the Toronto Blue Jays' minor league system from 2007 to 2014, with six of those seasons finishing with winning records. He was then was hired by the Dodgers as their minor league field coordinator, at which point he worked under current Marlins assistant general manager Gabe Kapler.

The Dodgers promoted McCullough to their major league coaching staff in 2021, inserting him as their first-base coach while having him work with outfielders and placing him in charge of their baserunning program. In 2024, McCullough played a big part in helping Shohei Ohtani evolve as a basestealer, paving the way for the first 50/50 season in baseball history.

McCullough was one of three primary candidates for the Marlins' managing job, along with Will Venable and Craig Albernaz. Venable was named manager of the Chicago White Sox and Albernaz pulled out of the race, opting to remain the Cleveland Guardians' bench coach.

The Marlins interviewed McCullough over videoconference while the Dodgers navigated a World Series run in October. He met with staff members at the team's spring training complex in Jupiter, Florida, last week and then again at loanDepot Park in Miami on Friday.

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