The Miami Marlins have hired Skip Schumaker as the team’s new manager, the team announced Tuesday.
A first-time manager, Schumaker played 11 seasons in the majors, with the first eight coming with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was a part of two World Series-winning Cardinals teams in 2006 and 2011.
“As we continue to grow as an organization, we felt it was important to find an individual who had been a part of a winning culture,” Marlins general manager Kim Ng said in a statement Tuesday. “Having been a member of two championship teams, along with his reputation for tenacity and getting every ounce of his ability, Skip will be a tremendous example to our players. His leadership style, teaching skills and attention to detail made him the clear choice as the club’s new manager.”
Schumaker spent this season as the Cardinals’ bench coach after four seasons as an assistant with the San Diego Padres.
“I’m very excited and grateful that [owner Bruce Sherman], Kim, and the Marlins organization have given me an opportunity to manage a very talented team,” Schumaker said in a statement. “Delivering a winning, sustainable culture with the exception of getting into the postseason is the next step for this organization and South Florida – and I can’t wait to get started.”
Schumaker replaces Don Mattingly, whose contract was not renewed at the end of the season. Mattingly served as Miami’s manager for seven seasons and left as the franchise’s all-time leader in wins.