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Initial reports after the firing of manager Mike Redmond had the Miami Marlins expected to hire Mr. Marlin Jeff Conine for the job. USA Today's Bob Nightengale had the initial report, but afterwards found out that the Fish were in fact for sure not going to hire the former two-time World Series winner with the Fish.
Correction: Jeff Conine will NOT be the next #Marlins manager, a front official insists.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) May 18, 2015
Conine would have been another in the long line of Marlins family members who were hired for positions in the organization and in managing. Jack McKeon was rehired in 2011 to finish the season after continued speculation forced Edwin Rodriguez to resign. Rodriguez himself earned the job after having managed in the minors. Fredi Gonzalez also managed in the minors for the Marlins organization as well as serving under Bobby Cox for the Atlanta Braves before getting his longest-tenured gig with the Fish in 2007. Redmond, of course, famously spent parts of seven seasons with the Marlins from 1998 to 2004.
Conine would have been the highest profile former Marlin to earn a managerial job within the family. He is regarded as Mr. Marlin for a good reason; he is the only player who served on both 1997 and 2003 World Series championship teams and is beloved by fans and the organization. He also has served as special assistant to the general manager under both Larry Beinfest and Michael Hill's regimes.
However, Niner would have come in with less experience than many of the men who have served the Fish, as he has no major or minor league managerial experience. Redmond himself came with a season under his belt working in the Toronto Blue Jays Low-A Dunedin affiliate. Joe Girardi served on the New York Yankees' staff as a bench coach in 2005, but that was his only coaching experience before taking on the big league job with the Marlins in 2006.
Who are the Marlins' candidates of interest? Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald initially noted that the team was looking for folks with managerial experience, citing former Houston Astros manager and Marlins third base coach Bo Porter as an option. However, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com subsequently has said that the franchise is looking internally, and while both Conine and third base coach Brett Butler are not options, the Fish may look at special assistants Andre Dawson or Tony Perez. Neither Dawson nor Perez have managed in the majors full-time, though Perez spent parts of seasons as a manager with the Marlins and Cincinnati Reds.
The current thought is that it is someone in the organization, and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports notes that the selection will be "outside the box."
fwiw heard marlins new manager is "outside the box," & "no one mentioned (much) today/tonight." #mysterymanager
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) May 18, 2015
We will find out shortly, as the announcement is expected to be made in a press conference at 11 AM this morning at Marlins Park.