Sixty percent of Marlins tickets are reduced or the same in price, while 40% have gone up GETTY IMAGES
The Marlins said that ticket sales for the upcoming season have "increased compared to a year ago and are ahead of last year’s pace," according to Andre Fernandez of the MIAMI HERALD. The Marlins said that 60% of the tickets are "reduced or the same" and 40% have "gone up in price although it wasn’t specified which sections increased or decreased." The team also said that ticket prices "could vary for depending on the opponent." Single-game ticket sales are "ahead of last year’s pace." Heading into Saturday when they went on sale, a Marlins spokesperson said that they had "sold more than double last year’s presale." The Marlins added that sales on Saturday at FanFest were "well ahead of the first day of first day of on-sale last year" (MIAMI HERALD, 2/11).
CAPTAIN'S ORDERS: In N.Y., John Harper wrote Marlins CEO Derek Jeter suddenly "finds himself an unpopular owner" after trading RF Giancarlo Stanton and other Marlins stars, all but "ensuring his team will be the worst in baseball" in '18. It is all "part of his rebuilding plan, but Jeter is already under fire in Miami for the way he's handling things" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/11). SI's Tom Verducci writes on the business side Jeter is "reaching out to the community" in ways former Marlins Owner Jeffrey Loria "never did." He is turning Marlins Park into an "entertainment venue beyond the Marlin’s 81 home dates." Monster truck rallies and craft beer festivals are "already scheduled." He hopes to "attract more fans with music and a festival atmosphere at ball games, similar to what was seen during the World Baseball Classic last year." The Marlins in January hosted "Dinner on the Diamond," a function for about 150 "potential business partners, sponsors and season-ticket holders." Miami-based UniVista CEO Ivan Herrera, who attended the function, said, "The old ownership didn’t do anything like this. New ownership is reaching out to the community. It’s time for a change, and (Jeter) realizes that" (SI, 2/12 issue).
SPEAK TO US: In West Palm Beach, Dave George writes Jeter should "make himself available daily" at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium during Spring Training "for autographs and selfies." Jeter "shouldn’t be a stranger." He "shouldn’t ask of Marlins fans more than he asks of himself." Meanwhile, the Marlins yesterday announced the hiring of Warriors CMO Chip Bowers as President of Business Operations, and George writes, "I’m guessing [Jeter] would favor this kind of audience engagement over more of those mopey Q&A sessions, where the questions to Jeter are all biting and the answers consistently unsatisfying" (PALM BEACH POST, 2/13).
BUILDING CHARACTER: In Ft. Lauderdale, Tim Healey notes Marlins VP/Player Development Gary Denbo this offseason created Captain's Camp, a "three and a half week leadership seminar that, in short, helps teach the 25 selected Marlins prospects to be the next Derek Jeters." The idea is to "coach up a bunch of great ballplayers to be great people, too." Give them "weeks of instruction -- on the field and in the classroom -- on how to lead and how to set an example for their peers." The Marlins’ inaugural Captain’s Camp began last week at their their spring facility in Jupiter and "will run until the end of the month, leading right up to the start of minor league spring training." Near-daily sessions include a "baseball component" and a "classroom component." Those in attendance are a "mix of Marlins prospects inherited from the previous regime and those who have joined the organization via recent trades" (South Florida SUN SENTINEL, 2/13).
