Sunday marks the final day of the MLB season, and although there is a preponderance of games that still have postseason implications, for most teams today’s results are meaningless.
One of the teams with nothing to play for is the Miami Marlins. With their postseason dreams long dashed, Manager Don Mattingly decided to let his players have a little fun in the season finale. Mattingly named third baseman Martin Prado the manager for Sunday’s game against the Washington Nationals, and gave the rest of the coaching staff a break too. The Marlins will be entirely player-coached, with the rest of the coaching roles to be filled out at Prado’s discretion.
This is not the first time Mattingly has done something similar to this, and the final day managerial change is a trick he learned from former Yankees skipper Joe Torre.
It has been only a week since the tragic passing of Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, so this bit of levity is likely welcome in a clubhouse that has undoubtedly been without much of it recently.
When it came down to selecting a player to assume the head role, the choice was obvious according to NBC6.
Prado has been a leader on and off the field for the Marlins since arriving in Miami. The team throws him the ball at the end of every half-inning and won’t leave the field until he has it in his glove. Where Prado goes, the team goes and having him as manager for a day only seems fitting.
[NBC6]
