There hasn’t been numerous concrete details about the Marlins’ managerial search, however one formal candidate has now been recognized, as Isaac Azout of Fish On First (X hyperlink) studies that Tigers bench coach George Lombard will interview in regards to the place this week.
It’s the second time in as many days that Lombard has been linked to a managerial opening, because the White Sox additionally reportedly have curiosity in talking with the 49-year-old. Because the Tigers’ shocking playoff run solely simply ended final Saturday, it is smart that Lombard is just now turning into out there for interviews.
Lombard has some distant previous ties to the Miami group, as he performed within the Marlins’ farm system again in 2008 however didn’t see any time with the membership on the MLB degree. His taking part in profession ran from 1994-2009, and included 144 Main League video games with 4 completely different groups from 1998-2006. Lombard performed in 13 video games with the Rays in 2006, although this predated the time that Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix spent within the Tampa entrance workplace.
Lombard’s solely managerial expertise got here within the type of two seasons (2011-12) in rookie ball, operating the Crimson Sox Gulf Coast League affiliate. Lombard spent six seasons general working for Boston as a supervisor, coach, and coordinator within the minors, then briefly labored in a minor league coordinator position for the Braves in 2015 earlier than the massive leagues got here calling.
After simply a few months with Atlanta, Lombard was employed because the Dodgers’ first base coach, a task he held from 2016-20. The primary two of Lombard’s seasons in Los Angeles overlaps with Gabe Kapler’s stint because the Dodgers’ director of participant growth, which creates an fascinating hyperlink to the Marlins since Kapler is now Miami’s assistant normal supervisor.
Lombard received a World Sequence ring with L.A. in 2020 and was then employed by the Tigers as their bench coach through the 2020-21 offseason. The duties of a bench coach range from workforce to workforce, however the Detroit Information’ Chris McCosky writes that Lombard’s chief duties embrace offensive game-planning, in addition to teaching baserunning and outfield play.
The bench coach rent got here after the Tigers additionally interviewed Lombard for their very own managerial emptiness on the time, which was crammed by A.J. Hinch. Lombard had beforehand been on the Pirates’ radar of their managerial search a 12 months prior (earlier than Derek Sheldon was employed), and the Crimson Sox additionally reportedly had some curiosity in talking with Lombard earlier than Alex Cora was re-hired as supervisor in November 2020.
If employed because the Marlins’ subsequent skipper, Lombard might be tasked with serving to flip round a workforce within the midst of an intensive rebuild each on and off the sphere. The Marlins made a variety of firings after the season, letting go of not simply Skip Schumaker’s teaching workers but in addition the workforce’s conditioning and coaching crew and the clubhouse attendant workers. Presumably the brand new supervisor would have numerous leeway in hand-picking folks to fill these roles, with Bendix and Kapler clearly additionally having loads of enter.
Talking of Kapler, Azout additionally notes that the Marlins have some curiosity in talking with Giants assistant coach Alyssa Nakken in regards to the managerial position. Nakken has been working with San Francisco for over a decade, and her five-year stint on the teaching workers started after Kapler was employed because the Giants’ supervisor previous to the 2020 season. Her position on the workers bears some similarity to Lombard’s skillset, as Nakken’s duties additionally included outfield instruction and baserunning.
Nakken turned the primary girl identified to ever obtain a correct interview for a Main League managerial place when she spoke to the Giants about their emptiness final October. Clearly historical past can be made if the Marlins or another workforce employed her to run their dugout, although Miami is especially noteworthy because the group was additionally the primary to rent a girl (Kim Ng) as normal supervisor. The 34-year-old Nakken would additionally grow to be the youngest present large league supervisor.
Aside from Lombard and Nakken, Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz and former Marlins bench coach Luis Urueta have additionally been talked about as candidates into account as Miami’s subsequent supervisor. Former Marlins pitcher Anibal Sanchez has additionally reached out to the membership in regards to the place, but it surely isn’t identified if the Marlins reciprocated that curiosity.
