Miami Marlins hitting coach Tino Martinez resigns after player abuse allegations

The Miami Marlins just got a nice victory today, but it is ringing hollow in light of some awful news.

Hitting coach Tino Martinez has reportedly resigned from the team after allegations put out by Marlins prospect Derek Dietrich described an incident in which Martinez yanked Dietrich by the neck chain in anger, as reported by multiple sources (Miami Herald report here). Dietrich apparently reported the incident before he was demoted, as the event occurred months ago.

Owner Jeffrey Loria has not yet accepted Martinez's resignation, so Martinez will stay aboard for the time being.

Apparently, this has been an issue throughout the time period in Miami, according to an anonymous player on the team.

"It’s all shocked everybody," the player said. "He uses intimidation. It’s been a problem since day one."

According to sources who have witnessed Martinez's profanity-laced eruptions, other players who have been attacked verbally by Martinez include outfielder Justin Ruggiano, infielder Chris Valaika and minor-league infielder Matt Downs. Another source said the list of players is much larger than that.

Apparently players have complained to manager Mike Redmond about Martinez's behavior as well, indicating that all levels of the organization are now aware of the problem. Given that the news has reached past the lower levels and officially hit the boss's desk, you can expect that Martinez's time with Miami is not long. Then again, the fact that Loria has not yet decided on this leaves some hope for Martinez to hold onto his hitting coach job.

Obviously, if the issue is as pervasive as it is being reported here, you can expect Martinez to be allowed to resign in a couple of days' time. This is a public relations problem for a franchise that already has public relations issues, and as important as coaches are deemed behind a manager's helm, Martinez is not so integral to the Marlins that they would risk public problems like this. Furthermore, he is brand new to the staff, having come aboard as part of the remake behind Redmond, so the team has no strong ties to him.

Remember, there was heavy discussion that Ozzie Guillen might get the axe after the Fidel Castro comments, and he was the highly-paid manager and had not coached a single game. Martinez is a hitting coach and has already asked to resign under the scrutiny of the news.

Fish Stripes will keep you posted on all the happenings in the Tino Martinez scandal.

More from Fish Stripes:

• Miami Marlins vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: Fernandez dominates in 3-2 win
• Miami Marlins Daily Minor League Report: July 27
• Miami Marlins vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: Marlins fall short on rally. 7-4
• Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna could be out for year with thumb injury
• MLB trade rumors: Texas Rangers calling "every week" on Miami Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton