By Lou Hernández

 With Spring Training around the corner, the Miami Marlins, in conjunction with the Miami Hurricanes baseball program, hosted a breakfast for their fans and community sponsors on January 26. The early morning event was held at CasaCuba Restaurant in South Miami.

In attendance for the Marlins was their manager Skip Schumaker and Peter Bendix, President of Baseball Operations. Representing the Miami Hurricanes was head baseball coach and Miami native J.D. Arteaga.

Schumaker did an excellent job for the Marlins last season, leading the team to the playoffs, and winning the 2023 National League Manager of the Year Award in the process. “My job is to get the best version of the 26 guys we have,” announced Schumaker. “We have a young nucleus that we are excited about.”

The Marlins manager acknowledged one of the perks of guiding a sports team in South Florida. “My family and I are very lucky to be in this spot,” he said. “I get to be here, especially in the winter months, when I’m watching NFL playoff football on TV and see it is minus degrees.”

Bendix, meanwhile, was questioned about the lack of player moves by the front office in the off-season. “There has been pursuit of free agents but nothing that has gotten over the line,” he responded. “I realize that may be an unsatisfying answer. But I’m preaching to myself and my group—patience. Patience is the key. Patience for this offseason, which still has three weeks remaining until spring training and patience for the long term. We still have unsigned players, and a lot of moves to make.”

“We had an excellent season last year,” added Bendix, who was hired away from the state rival Tampa Bay Rays executive staff and has been on the job for three months. “We want to build on that, build something that is sustainable over five-plus years. We want reaching the playoffs to be a frequent occurrence, to the point where not winning a World Series will be a disappointing year, because our goal is to win the World Series. That does not happen overnight. That happens by making long-term decisions, at the same time as taking care of short-term decisions. We want to build to a point where every September, year in and year-out, our games will be meaningful games because we are in the thick of it and to make games in September really fun for our fans every year.”

As far the 2024 Hurricanes are concerned, first-year head coach Arteaga will have the loss of key roster players to overcome, including the team’s closer, third baseman, and shortstop. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said the former U of M pitching standout. “I don’t have a crystal ball. If we reach the College World Series, it’s an okay season. But our ultimate goal is to win a national championship.”

The majority of the University of Miami’s team roster is made up of South Florida products. Their season begins February 16. Arteaga promised that fans and alumni will see an all-out effort from his players: “Our practices are game-like. It’s game speed all the time because there’s a lot of competition for jobs.”

His professional counterpart on the Marlins echoed the same focused commitment. “Competition brings out the most in guys,” emphasized Schumaker. “Some guys run to the stage and some guys run from it. I can guarantee that you will see guys that are going to play hard every single night, and if they don’t—they won’t play.”