MIAMI -- From the day he was introduced as the Marlins' chief executive officer, Derek Jeter has stressed the importance of patience as the franchise goes through the process of building a championship-caliber team.
Still, there are times even Jeter admits to getting frustrated by some of the growing pains on the field.
"I know, I have no patience," Jeter told reporters on Wednesday before the Marlins faced the Dodgers. "I've been preaching patience. But I pay attention to all the little things. A lot of times, the little things are what win you games, and then more importantly, little things are what cost you some games."
A youthful Marlins squad entered Wednesday with a record of 15-26.
"We've got to tighten those things up, but I also understand the fact it's a long season," Jeter said. "There's going to be periods where you're not as bad as you may look, and there's also times you're not as good as you may look."
The Marlins underwent an ownership change last October, with the group led by Jeter and Bruce Sherman purchasing the club from Jeffrey Loria.
The organization hasn't had a winning season since 2009, and the new ownership group is committed to taking steps to achieve sustainable success.
"No one is happy with the wins/losses, but there are a lot of positives that we have seen," Jeter said. "I tend to focus on those, and keep the big picture in mind.
"The thing is, we've been in a lot of games. We've got to figure out ways to win those games. That's part of the learning process. Guys have to learn how to win. I think our guys are learning. They're playing hard. I like the effort. Guys are improving, guys are battling. From that sense, I like it. But once again, we obviously want the wins and losses to be better."
Improving the product on the field is one part of the organizational makeover. Efforts also are being made to increase attendance and revenue.
On Wednesday the club announced the hiring of three executives -- Elisa Padilla (senior vice president of marketing and community relations), Travis Apple (vice president of ticket sales and service) and Michael Shaw (vice president and head of customer engagement).
"I've said it from Day 1 when we got here, we're building a championship organization," Jeter said. "That goes from the players that we have on the field to the people we have in the front office. Every single person who is part of this organization is going to be a first-class individual. We're adding to our group."
Jeter is being briefed on the upcoming MLB Draft, which starts on June 4. After that he plans to visit some of the Minor League affiliates.
"It's exciting," he said. "Some of the guys, I get constant daily reports on their progress. We're excited by a lot of the progress of the guys we brought into the organization. We've had some success at our Minor League levels, and prospects that we have in the organization are playing well. We're extremely excited about what's to come."
Worth noting
With Elieser Hernandez in the rotation, Jarlin Garcia is available to pitch out of the bullpen. Garcia is having his innings monitored; he is at 43 on the season. He has been scheduled to pitch against the Braves on Saturday, but it is doubtful he will. The long-term goal remains to groom him as a starter.
"It's a way to slip him in there, and kind of split up our lefties," manager Don Mattingly said. "We felt it was the right time. He will be available in the bullpen. We have talked about keeping his innings down. This is one way we felt we could do it."