3 candidates to become Marlins' next manager

This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola’s Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The offseason is into its fourth week, so there’s no better time to check in on the Marlins’ most important order of business: finding their new manager.

With the World Series set to begin on Friday, expect to see president of baseball operations Peter Bendix hire the 17th skipper in franchise history in time for the General Managers Meetings in San Antonio, which take place Nov. 4-7. The event signifies the beginning of the Hot Stove season, when the groundwork is laid for future trades and signings as front offices convene to discuss organizational needs.

Here are three reported candidates -- all of whom would be a first-time manager at the big league level -- for the role:

Luis Urueta: Marlins' bench coach
Though the Marlins let go of their 2024 coaching staff, they expressed interest in bringing back the 43-year-old Colombian. Urueta, who was Skip Schumaker’s bench coach for two seasons, served as the acting manager for the final two games of the season -- both wins.

Urueta, who was a Minor League infielder for the D-backs from 1999-2002, worked for the D-backs from ’07-22 once his playing career ended in the Italian Baseball League. His experience was diverse: MLB player development & instruction coordinator (’22), bench coach (‘20-21), Major League coach (‘18-19), short-season field coordinator (’08-12, ’16), Triple-A coach (’15) and field coordinator (’17).

And while Urueta hasn’t been an MLB manager, he has held that role in the Dominican Summer League (2007, ‘13-14) and the Colombian (‘10-11, ‘15-16) and Dominican Winter Leagues (‘17-20). Urueta won Manager of the Year three straight years (‘14-16), and his clubs captured two straight CWL championships. Urueta also managed Team Colombia in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

Plus, Urueta has experience as the general manager of Gigantes del Cibao of the Dominican Winter League. That gig lends itself to a better understanding of the responsibilities of a front office and working in tandem with one. Urueta also is bilingual, so he can communicate with both the English- and Spanish-speaking players and staff.

George Lombard: Tigers' bench coach
Lombard has held his current position for the past four seasons, including in 2024 for American League Manager of the Year candidate A.J. Hinch. He also coaches the outfielders and baserunners.

According to MLB.com colleague Jason Beck, Lombard is an excellent teacher at the MLB level with an attention to detail and positioning. Kerry Carpenter, Parker Meadows and Wenceel Pérez all became better outfielders under Lombard's watch. Lombard is also a king of early work.

Before Lombard’s time in Detroit, he was the Dodgers’ first-base coach for five seasons and won the 2020 World Series. Until his stint in Los Angeles, Lombard gained experience as Atlanta’s Minor League field coordinator (’15) and Boston’s Minor League outfield and baserunning coordinator (‘13-15), Rookie-level Gulf Coast League manager (‘11-12) and Class A Short-Season Lowell hitting coach (’10). His GCL club reached the finals.

Lombard, who turned 49 in September, played six seasons in the Majors with Atlanta (1998-2000), Detroit (‘02), Tampa Bay (‘03) and Washington (’06). He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and lives in South Florida.

Craig Albernaz: Guardians' bench coach
Albernaz, who turns 42 on Oct. 30, was a finalist for the Guardians’ managerial job that went to AL MOY candidate Stephen Vogt last offseason. According to MLB.com colleague Mandy Bell, Albernaz is great with the players and has been attached to Vogt’s hip, so he could learn how to do the managerial job.

Before joining his friend and former teammate in Cleveland, Albernaz spent the previous four seasons (2020-23) as the Giants’ bullpen coach, some of that time overlapping with Marlins assistant general manager Gabe Kapler’s tenure as the skipper in San Francisco.

Albernaz also worked in the Rays’ player development system from 2015-19, which included stints as a manager at Class A Short-Season Hudson Valley and Class A Bowling Green. Both clubs won a championship with him at the helm, and Albernaz even earned Midwest League Manager of the Year in ’18. He also was the Minor League Field coordinator in ’19, a Minor League hitting coach (’15-16) and Triple-A third-base and catching coach (’17).

A graduate of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Albernaz played in the Rays’ (eight seasons) and Tigers’ (2014) organizations from ‘06-14. Like many skippers, Albernaz was a catcher during his professional career. Much of his time with Tampa Bay coincided with Bendix.