Marlins' Clayton McCullough Collects Votes for National League Manager of Year
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When the Miami Marlins hired Clayton McCullough, he had a big task in front of him. Not only was he replacing Skip Schumaker, but he was taking over a team that lost 100 games the season before after making the playoffs in 2023.
In September, the Marlins were hanging around a National League Wild Card spot, but fell four games short behind the Cincinnati Reds. It was a surprising season that saw Miami finish 79-83. That was a very successful first season in South Florida for McCullough, and it didn't go unnoticed.
McCullough finished fifth in the National League voting for Manager of the Year. Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy won the award for the second consecutive season, receiving 27 of the 30 first-place votes. He became just the third back-to-back winner of the Manager of the Year Award in MLB history.
Reds manager Terry Francona finished second, Bobby Thomson of the Philadelphia Phillies was third, and Craig Counsell of the Chicago Cubs finished fourth. McCullough was the only manager who did not take his team to the playoffs. He got five second-place votes and seven third-place votes.
Clayton McCullough Has Good First Season With Miami
This could have been seen as a season with the first step going in the right direction for McCullough with Miami. Gabe Kapler was just hired as general manager, joining president of baseball operations, Peter Bendix. They have a big offseason of decisions coming up.
What do they do with pitchers Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera? They will be fielding calls on both pitchers, but after the season the Marlins are coming off, do they stand pat and run it back next season in a National League East where there are a lot of questions surrounding the New York Mets? The Atlanta Braves are not the same team they have been, and are likely going through a change. Miami could be considered a surprising team with some key additions this winter.
As for last season, McCullough saw some players break out, including outfielder Kyle Stowers. Acquired from the Baltimore Orioles at the 2024 trade deadline, Stowers was a finalist for a Gold Glove and was a finalist for the Silver Slugger Award.
How much money Miami will spend this offseason will be another question surrounding the front office. They haven't been big spenders, but with a young influx of talent, piecing the roster together this offseason with some veterans could set them up for even more success in 2026.
