Welcome to this edition of the Marlins Beat newsletter. MLB.com's Justin Morris filled in for Christina De Nicola for this newsletter. MIAMI -- There are several Miami Marlins with ties to the city of Toronto. Liam Hicks was born in Ontario’s capital. Otto Lopez’s first Major League stop was with the Blue Jays, whom he signed with as an international free agent in 2016. But perhaps no Marlin -- at least from a professional perspective -- has a deeper history in “The Six” than the team’s manager, Clayton McCullough. Like Lopez, McCullough also got his start in the pro ranks with the Blue Jays. Hired by Toronto in 2006 after spending a year volunteering at East Carolina (his alma mater), McCullough began his coaching tenure there with the Rookie-level Pulaski Blue Jays. |
He quickly proved himself ready to take on managerial duties, and by 2007, was leading the way for the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Blue Jays. The next year, he guided Single-A Lansing to a postseason berth, and two years later, did the same with High-A Dunedin (he repeated the act again with Dunedin the following season). From there, McCullough collected back-to-back championships while piloting Short Season-A Vancouver, before rounding out his term with Toronto in 2014. Overall, he netted two Manager of the Year Awards (Florida State League in 2011; Northwest League in 2012), while closing six of his seven seasons with a winning record. Now, McCullough’s trying to accomplish the same feat, only this time at the helm of a Major League club. The first-time big league skipper has exceeded expectations for 2025, kickstarting his career with a 60-69 record (as of Aug. 23). And while the win total is nine games below .500, it’s two games fewer than the Marlins won all of last season. What’s more, the team was toeing the .500 line as recently as early August, ascending to 55-55 following a 24-40 start after a series win against the Yankees -- its sixth straight at the time. Had Miami won its next game, it would’ve climbed above .500 for the first time since April 13. |
Miami currently sits in third place in the National League East heading into Sunday. And while he hasn’t had much time to pause and reflect on this season, McCullough did some reminiscing about his early career on Friday as the Marlins welcomed the familiar visitors from the "Great White North." “[My wife and I] were just married,” McCullough said in an interview with the Marlins Radio Network, “and in a great city. I’ll always fondly look back on my time with the Blue Jays.” Along with fond memories, McCullough carries the deep bonds he formed throughout his years in the Blue Jays' organization with him to this day. “I still have a lot of people that are still there that I’m in contact with. “[Blue Jays manager] John Schneider … we still stay in contact, and we were managing around the same time in that organization. Voon Chong, who’s a longtime trainer, Luis Hurtado, who’s one of the bullpen catching coaches there, I managed him in the Minor Leagues. David Popkins and Lou Iannotti, their hitting coaches -- [whom I actually knew] from L.A. So [there are] a lot of people over there in Torontoland that I have a good connection [with].” |
It was in the City of Angels where McCullough earned his first piece of Major League hardware as a member of the Dodgers’ staff in 2024. He received his official World Series ring when the Marlins visited Los Angeles in April, and re-lived pieces of last year’s title glory when he ventured to Atlanta as an honorary coach for this year’s Midsummer Classic. But McCullough has his sights set on his own team. And while it may take time, he’s determined to lead a World Series winner as manager. “[I’ve] always been very appreciative of my time in Toronto,” McCullough said Saturday, “and understanding that that was a major [portion] of my life and career, that everything you do [plays a part in] where you end up. “Those were very informative years for me as a young coach, met some really great people, and so I’ll always be proud to have spent that time with the Blue Jays. [But I] have less time to think about how I got to this point now, and [more about], ‘What do we have to do today?’” The top item on his to-do list nowadays is “win.” And so far, he’s done much more of it than many envisioned he would entering the season. |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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The first 8,000 fans will receive a Luis Castillo Hall of Fame bobblehead presented by Goya on Sunday, when the Marlins take on the Blue Jays. |
This past week was chock-full of unforgettable moments for Marlins youngsters. First, Maximo Acosta -- ranked as the Marlins’ No. 25 prospect -- uncorked the first homer of his career 418 feet to center Wednesday as part of Miami’s 6-2 win against the Cardinals. Acosta paid homage to his late father after the blast, and became the first Marlin since Jerar Encarnacion (2022) to hit a home run for his first Major League hit. Acosta’s wife and son were on hand for the momentous occasion. That same day, Joey Wiemer notched his first hit with the Marlins, slicing a fastball up the middle for a single. |
Meanwhile, Javier Sanoja became the first Marlin to collect multiple game-tying hits in the ninth inning or later of the same game in his 3-for-5 outburst Saturday. Sanoja was 5-for-9 with four RBIs, including a homer through the first two games of the Toronto series. |
The Miami Marlins Foundation partnered with PNC Bank to host a back-to-school drive at Kensington Park Elementary on Monday, Aug. 18. The event was part of Kiwanis of Little Havana’s annual back-to-school distribution, which has provided over 10,000 students with school supplies through the years. Lopez took part in the event, along with Marlins president of business Caroline O’Connor and PNC Bank executive vice president Cressman Bronson. |
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