Marlins Bring in External Candidate to Fill Infield Coaching Role for 2026 Season
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The Miami Marlins have done a pretty impressive job rebuilding their coaching staff over the last two offseasons, replacing some key components and building a staff for the future. After a pretty strong 2025 campaign, they will likely be looking to add more to the roster this winter, either via trade or signing, and showcase that they can be competitive once again by surrounding this young core with more veterans.
A few spots do remain on the staff as potential openings, though, with the infield coach position being one of the most notable that was left to fix. With quite a few shifts likely occurring on the infield roster, specifically first base, having a good coach to ensure the transition goes smoothly is key to competing in 2026.
The good news is that the Marlins have found their guy, and he is notably an external candidate who previously also worked in the National League. He is on the younger side and brings some experience in the minor leagues to the team, as he has learned more about development, which will hopefully work out well with this currently rather young and developmental roster.
Who Did the Marlins Hire to Be Their Infield Coach?
The staff member that Miami brought in to be their infield coach in 2026 is Blake Butler, as has been reported by multiple outlets. Butler is only 32 years old, and previously worked as the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates' High-A affiliate team, the Greensboro Grasshoppers. Most notably, though, he was named South Atlantic League Manager of the Year for his 2025 success.
#Marlins will be hiring Blake Butler to be their infield coach.
— Christina De Nicola (@CDeNicola13) December 8, 2025
Butler served as the High-A Greensboro manager in the Pirates' system over the past two seasons.
Miami might still add one more person to the coaching staff.
The Grasshoppers finished with a whopping 88-43 record in 2025, posting some outstanding offensive production as they led the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs (by over 60), RBI and total bases.
Their fielding was also very strong, which is a good indicator, with the third lowest number of errors, the highest number of assists and the lowest number of stolen bases against them.
This is the type of production many would want to see out of an incoming coach, and Butler has a lot to prove, no doubt at the MLB level, but he has done everything possible to earn it up to this point.
He should be an exceptional hire for the staff as they look to put together a roster that will succeed long into the future, rather than just be a blip on the radar.
