Former Marlins video coordinator Cullen McRae dies

Cullen McRae, who worked for the Marlins from 1997 to 2015, passed away on Saturday night at the age of 49.

McRae’s father, Hal, and older brother, Brian, had long careers as MLB players. Cullen played collegiately, but found his professional niche in the video room.

In 1997, McRae was an assistant in the Marlins’ season and group sales department, then he became the team’s video coordinator in 1998, a position he held for the next 14 seasons. His responsibilities included “taping games, breaking down video for pitchers, hitters and baserunners and working directly with the team manager and coaching staff” and advanced video scouting, according to past Marlins media guides. From 2012-2015, McRae was Miami’s video coaching coordinator.

Friends and former co-workers mourning McRae on social media point to his positivity and sense of humor as standout traits.

I wasn’t familiar with McRae’s connection to the team until 2018. Still living in South Florida, he had become an adult film producer for BangBros and managed the company’s since-deleted Twitter account. Interspersed between lewd posts promoting new porn releases, he would vent about the Marlins rebuild. I will never, ever forget the time that he—on behalf of BangBros—tweeted unsolicited praise for Fish Stripes’ Marlins coverage.

In the years since then, McRae and I would occasionally message each other privately on Instagram about the state of the Marlins. He remained a fan of them until the end.

Fish Stripes sends our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.