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Marcus Thames, Al Pedrique, Edwar González fill out 2022 Marlins coaching staff

Thames is coming over from the Yankees, while Pedrique is moving up from the minor league ranks.

By Ely Sussman Updated
Derek Jeter #2, Marcus Thames #38, and Brett Gardner #11 of the New York Yankees run into the dugout after the final out of the second inning against the Chicago White Sox on May 2, 2010 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

We have only a vague idea about who the players on the 2022 Marlins major league roster will be, but the coaching staff responsible for bringing out the best in them was officially set on Wednesday.

The hiring of Marcus Thames was first reported by the Miami Herald’s Craig Mish. Daniel Álvarez of El Extrabase had the scoop on Al Pedrique as the new third base/infield coach.

Thames and Edwar González fill the shoes of Eric Duncan and Robert Rodríguez, respectively, though Duncan was still retained as quality assurance coach. Pedrique takes over for Trey Hillman.

The role of quality assurance coach is relatively new in baseball. The Cubs, Dodgers and Angels are among the MLB teams who have used one over the last decade.

I speculated last month that Thames was a potential candidate given his relationship with Derek Jeter—they were teammates on the 2010 Yankees. Lindsey Adler of The Athletic notes that his connections to Gary Denbo and James Rowson likely factored into this, too:

This season, under the guidance of Rowson, Duncan and Rodríguez, Marlins batters had the second-highest chase rate among MLB teams and the worst weighted run value against fastballs, according to FanGraphs. Unsurprisingly, they struggled to score.

Thames is at least the 11th ex-Yankees coach to come to Miami in the four-plus years since the franchise’s ownership change (h/t Eli Fishman).

Although Pedrique worked for Triple-A Jacksonville in 2021, he is undoubtedly qualified for this role change. The 61-year-old previously coached third base in the majors for the Royals and Athletics. While managing the Jumbo Shrimp to a 75-55 record—.577 winning percentage was tops among Marlins affiliates—he got well-acquainted with Lewin Díaz and other young infielders who could impact the 2022 team.

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