Jon Jay never got to play for hometown Marlins. He’s embracing chance to coach for them
His 12-year playing career has come to an end, but Jon Jay is finally wearing the jersey of his hometown Miami Marlins.
Jay, a Miami Columbus High alumnus and a former standout at the University of Miami, has made the transition from playing to coaching and will serve as manager Skip Schumaker’s first base coach for the 2023 season. He will also oversee the outfielders.
“I was born and raised in Miami. I live here, so it was kind of the perfect fit,” Jay said Wednesday at loanDepot park as part of a holiday party and toy distribution for about 100 students from Alpha Charter of Excellence School. “When Skip told me that there was the possibility of me joining the staff and all that, I was super excited. I’m from here. Putting on this jersey, it’s kind of going to complete everything from my career.”
Ever since he was growing up and started playing baseball, Jay yearned to play for the hometown Marlins. That didn’t materialize, but his playing career was a overwhelming success.
He played in 1,201 career games during parts of 12 seasons with eight different teams. This included six seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2010 to 2015, the first three of which he was teammates with Schumaker. Jay won a World Series with the Cardinals in 2011 and batted .283 with a .348 on-base percentage through the course of his career, which also included stops with the San Diego Padres (2016), Chicago Cubs (2017), Kansas City Royals (2018), Arizona Diamondbacks (2018 and 2020), Chicago White Sox (2019) and Los Angeles Angels (2021).
Now, he makes the transition to the coaching world.
“I always knew it was a possibility,” Jay said of coaching. “I’ve always been that type of guy that you never say never. It was a perfect fit. ... I’ve always enjoyed coaching. I enjoy helping guys.”
Schumaker last week called Jay “a rising star on the coaching side.”
“I think a guy like Jon Jay has been coaching for the last three or four years of his career, honestly,” Schumaker said. “... He knows what I’m about, and I think is a guy that’s going to hold everyone accountable.”
He has already started. Jay has begun working with both Avisail Garcia and Jorge Soler, both of whom are looking for bounceback seasons after struggling their first year in Miami.
“It’s a little bit different being on the coaching side, but it’s the same thing,” Jay said. “I’m here for them in any capacity I can. It’s just a little different that I’m the one throwing [batting practice] and I’m the ones hitting ground balls and stuff. But it’s great.”
The rest of Schumaker’s staff, as formally announced by the Marlins on Tuesday: Bench coach Luis Urueta, bullpen coach Wellington Cepeda, bullpen coordinator Rob Flippo, pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr., field coordinator Rod Barajas, quality assurance coach Griffin Benedict, hitting coach Brant Brown, assistant hitting coach John Mabry and third base/infield coach Jody Reed.
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