Jeter credits group efforts from the baseball operations staff for executing ownership’s visionGETTY IMAGES
The Marlins are making their first postseason appearance in 17 years, and the results from the rebuild Derek Jeter instituted when he came on as team CEO three years ago are "finally showing at the big-league level," according to Jordan McPherson of the MIAMI HERALD. This was the Marlins' first winning record since '09, and for the "first time in a long time, the results on the field are matching the internal optimism." Jeter "credits the group efforts from the baseball operations staff" for the ownership group’s vision "coming to life." The organization, from ownership to the coaching staff to the players, "stayed the course," and the "bright spots are now beginning to surface" (MIAMI HERALD, 9/29). McPherson in a separate piece notes this season "provides validation internally that the team is heading in the right direction after going 120-203 over the previous two seasons as the organization prioritized depth and sustainability" (MIAMI HERALD, 9/29). The Athletic's Peter Gammons reported Jeter went late into Friday night "calling scouts and baseball ops people on all levels to congratulate and thank them" for the Marlins making the playoffs. That move "impacted a lot of people" (TWITTER.com, 9/26).
POSITIVE SIGNS OF SUCCESS: In Miami, Barry Jackson notes Jeter now has "tangible evidence" that he can be "successful as a team’s top day-to-day executive." Jeter said, "We’ve had a lot of things we’ve had to fix. There’s still things we need to continue to fix. But I’ve been very good at adding a great team, whether it’s business operations or baseball operations. We’ve added a lot of quality individuals." He continued, "From a business side, it takes a lot of relationship building. I didn’t expect people to trust me just because I say trust me. They don’t know me. They don’t know us as an ownership group. We’re new down here in the community, and we have to develop that trust. We have to build that trust. And I think we’ve gone a long way. I think we’ve done quite a bit in the community and that’s the right thing to do." Jeter added, "Our front office on the business side has done a great job ... developing those partnerships and developing relationships" (MIAMI HERALD, 9/29). MLB.com's Joe Frisaro noted it is "hard to say exactly how the market has embraced this youthful squad" without fans coming to Marlins Park. But Jeter feels the market "is warming up to the Marlins." Jeter: "We get a lot more inbound calls than we used to. That’s a good sign. It is hard to judge, because there are no fans in the ballpark. But I would like to think that the way our team performed this year, that we would have had more fans at the ballpark" (MLB.com, 9/28).
IMAGE OVERHAUL: The AP's Steven Wine noted the Marlins "appear to be built to last as they’re just starting to win." They have an "abundance of young pitching, a strong farm system and a modest, manageable payroll." Few saw the Marlins as a playoff team this year, especially after a coronavirus outbreak "nearly ended their season after just three games" (AP, 9/28). In N.Y., Tyler Kepner noted Jeter has "recast the Marlins in his image, weathering two years as the worst team in the National League to become the most unlikely entrant into baseball’s 16-team playoff field" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/29). ESPN's Mark Teixeira said Jeter is a "calming presence" for the franchise (“Baseball Tonight,” ESPN, 9/27).
MIAMI'S IMPOSSIBLE DREAM: In Miami, Greg Cote writes the Marlins are the "impossible dream come true, the feel-good sports story of surreal, pandemic 2020." Their preseason odds to win the World Series were "30,000-to-1, dead last." And when play finally started in July, the Marlins were "embarrassed to have so many players test positive for COVID-19 that eight games in a row had to be postponed, so decimated was the roster." This is the "interloper in the postseason" (MIAMI HERALD, 9/29). MLB Network's Fran Charles said the Marlins are the "most shocking" among teams in the playoff field. Three "short years" after Jeter took over the franchise, the "fun and the sun is back in Miami." MLB Net's Bill Ripken: "This is a great story" (“MLB Tonight,” MLB Network, 9/28).
