Marlins name new hitting, 3B/INF coaches

MIAMI -- Former Major Leaguers Marcus Thames and Al Pedrique were named the Marlins' hitting coach and third-base/infield coach, respectively, the club announced on Wednesday afternoon. Edwar González rounds out the staff as assistant hitting coach. All three continue a long line of Yankees-Marlins connections under the Bruce Sherman/Derek Jeter ownership group.

Eric Duncan, Miami's hitting coach each of the past two seasons, has been named quality assurance coach.

Thames spent two of his 10 MLB seasons (2002-11) in pinstripes, tallying 115 homers and a 105 OPS+ in 640 games. He went on to coach in the Yankees' system beginning in 2013 with High-A Tampa, then Double-A Trenton ('14) and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre ('15). Over the next six years, he worked on the big league coaching staff, including serving as the hitting coach from '18 until October, when his contract wasn't renewed. The Bronx Bombers hit 222 home runs in 2021, sixth in MLB.

The Venezuelan-born Pedrique, who played in 174 MLB games from 1987-89, was Triple-A Jacksonville's manager in 2021 in his first season with the Marlins organization. He previously spent three years on the A's staff as third-base coach ('19-20) and first-base coach ('18). From 2013-17, he managed at four Minor League levels in New York's system: Low-A Charleston ('13), Tampa ('14), Trenton ('15) and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre ('16-17). He was named International League Manager of the Year in '16 after the RailRiders put up a MiLB-best 91-52 record. Pedrique's MLB coaching experience includes stints as third-base coach and interim manager in Arizona ('04), third-base coach in Houston ('09) and later bench coach for the Astros ('10-11).

González, who played in 770 career MiLB games from 2002-10, will enter his third season with the organization after serving as the Minor League hitting coordinator each of the past two years. Prior to joining the Marlins, the Venezuelan-born outfielder spent nine seasons with the Yankees, including three as a hitting coach for their Minor League affiliates.

In late October, Trey Hillman and Robert Rodriguez parted ways with the Marlins to pursue opportunities outside the organization. The Marlins finished the 2021 season near the bottom of various offensive categories, including runs (29th), walks (28th), strikeouts (second most) and OPS (29th). The infield ranked 25th in Outs Above Average and committed 73 of the club’s MLB-high 122 errors. Roster turnover played a factor in both areas.

Thames, Pedrique and González join the coaching staff of manager Don Mattingly, whose mutual option for 2022 was exercised in July. Mattingly is the franchise's longest-tenured and winningest skipper, with a 374-494 record in six years.