Marlins Eye Simmons for Manager Role
The Florida Marlins’ lack of a stable manager will only be addressed upon the end of the season. The Marlins will be interviewing many candidates, including interim manager Edwin Rodriguez, but one new candidate has emerged.
According to MLB FanHouse, San Diego Padres’ bench coach Ted Simmons is a prospective target for the Marlins. Major League Baseball insiders say that the Marlins have been gathering information on the 60-year-old.
Simmons first entered the MLB as a 19-year-old player in 1968, playing catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. He went on to catch for another 21 seasons in the Majors, during which time he was an eight-time All-Star and batted .285.
In recent years, Simmons has been a bench coach in San Diego since 2008 and was a bench coach for the Milwaukee Brewers prior to that. He has performed managerial duties for both teams he when the manager was absent, but he has yet to be a full-time manager. Simmons says he is up to the challenge.
He said: “At this point I either get on with doing it or forget about it, and it's much too compelling to forget about it.”
Simmons’s deep involvement with baseball throughout his life makes him a very viable choice for reins behind the Marlins. Aside from bench manager, Simmons has held a plethora of MLB jobs.
He was the general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1992-93, but had to step down from his position following a heart attack. He also served as a special assignment scout for the Cleveland Indians from 1993-98.
Simmons then oversaw the Padres farm system from 1999-2001 and later became an assistant to then GM Kevin Towers. According to Simmons, farm directing was very similar to what would be expected of him as a manager. He said that while overseeing the Padres farm system, he was "responsible for, at that time, seven teams, seven managers and the operation of games daily, times seven. You tend to do a lot of managing."
Simmons colleagues at San Diego also think he would be a great manager. Current Padres manager Bud Black, who just signed a three-year extension, thinks that Simmons could successfully lead a team. He said: "He'll come to managing with a great perspective because of where he's been his entire baseball career -- player, farm director, GM, scout. He will truly have insights on what ideally makes an organization go. He blends a strong passion for the game with some absolutes that he truly believes in, but there is also a side in him that's innovative and creative."
Although Simmons has only interviewed for a single managerial position, in 1998 with the Tampa Bay Rays, he is most likely one of the most qualified choices available in all the Majors.
Simmons has been a major contributor to the San Diego Padres amassing the best record in the National League, with the second-lowest payroll in all of Major League Baseball. He is great at dealing hands-on with players and is especially adept at working with catchers.
Padres catcher Nick Hundley described Simmons’s dedication: “He's in the game with us. He's in there to try to help. Sometimes he gets on me. But at the same time, it's all in terms of learning. He's trying to help me get to the level that he got to -- win a lot of games, get to the playoffs, get to the World Series."
Florida would be wise to get a manager with as much baseball expertise and experience as Simmons. Simmons has done a lot for the Padres, but he is far too qualified to be a bench coach. Simmons has already covered most jobs available in baseball, and done so successfully. It is time for him to showcase his skills at managing as well.
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