Miami Marlins – Don Mattingly
While most teams had hope for the 2019 MLB season, the Miami Marlins were one of those franchises that did not have a realistic chance of contending for the playoffs. Success, in their case, would come with progress at the minor league level, and a determination of which players could be a part of the future.
That did not stop CEO Derek Jeter from stating that he expected the Marlins to win, and to win soon. Even with that declaration, the Marlins quickly struggled, and find themselves buried in the basement of the NL East.
This may well spell the end for manager Don Mattingly. Although he is a fellow Yankees alum, the Marlins have not made the type of progress that Jeter would want. In fact, as they entered action on Saturday, they had a lower winning percentage in 2019 then they had the previous season.
The future for the Marlins appears to be bright. Isan Diaz showed that he could be a future cornerstone player in AAA this season. They added the likes of Jazz Chisholm, Jesus Sanchez, and Sixto Sanchez in trades. Just a year after being one of the worst farm systems in baseball, the Marlins boast six top 100 prospects, and are now considered to have the fourth best system in the game.
However, this is a future that is not likely to include Don Mattingly. Even if the Marlins were not going to win this season, Derek Jeter wanted to see improvement on the major league side. That has not happened, and is likely to cost Mattingly his job.