The Miami Marlins will retain Clayton McCullough as their manager for the 2027 season, the organization’s president of baseball operations, Peter Bendix, confirmed this Tuesday.
McCullough will thus face his third season at the helm of the Marlins, after posting a record of 159-165 during his first two years in charge.
“I think Clayton showed a lot of growth and improvement, as a lot of people do in their second year,” Bendix said. The executive also highlighted the manager’s communication and his ability to establish a good culture within the clubhouse.
McCullough was hired on November 11, 2024 as the seventeenth manager in Marlins history, shortly after winning the World Series as first base coach of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In its first season, Miami finished with a 79-83 record and remained in the hunt for the postseason until the final week. The team even had an outstanding run after the All-Star break, although it ultimately failed to advance to the playoffs.
The 2026 campaign began even more promisingly. The Marlins entered the All-Star break with a 52-45 record and occupied a National League wild card berth. However, a 12-game losing streak around the break ended up hurting their chances.
Miami closed the season with a record of 80-82, practically identical to the previous year, although it achieved a positive run differential for the first time since 2010.
The team had difficulties especially away from home, where they finished with a 33-48 record, and against teams with a winning record, against which they recorded a 33-50 mark.
McCullough was also questioned for some decisions during games. One of the most talked about occurred on April 7 against the Cincinnati Reds, when he retired Sandy Alcantara with one out in the ninth inning and Miami led 2-0. Anthony Bender allowed the two inherited runners to score and Cincinnati ended up winning in extra innings.
Another episode occurred on July 5 against the Athletics. Eury Pérez had pitched seven perfect innings with an 8-0 lead, but did not return for the eighth inning. Lake Bachar allowed five runs without recording an out and Pete Fairbanks gave up three more in the ninth. Miami ended up winning 9-8.
There were also strategic decisions that worked. McCullough got Alcantara, Perez and Janson Junk to agree to relief appearances between his starts during the final stretch of the season. The three accumulated five performances of this type and were effective.
“I’ve been able to anticipate things earlier than I could last year,” McCullough explained. The manager also acknowledged that he still has aspects to improve heading into his third season.
With the confirmation of his continuity, McCullough will become the longest-tenured manager of the Marlins since Don Mattingly, after Skip Schumaker left the position after only two seasons.
