Though Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker admitted that "you don't know what's going to happen," the leader of the National League East's last-place club addressed the possibility that he might be looking for a new job next week.
Speaking after Miami's final home game of the season, a 5-4 loss Sunday to the Atlanta Braves at loanDepot Park, Schumaker spoke with honesty and sincerity when asked if he had thought this might be his final game in South Florida.
"It's kind of a weird moment, personally, in my career," he said. "Extremely grateful that I was given an opportunity to manage the Miami Marlins even if it was a couple years."
The Marlins, a season after advancing to the NL postseason, are 57-99, and just wrapped up a home schedule that saw them land at 30-51. As they embark on a six-game road trip to Minnesota and Toronto, the Marlins are 35.5 games behind the East-champion Philadelphia Phillies, the same club Miami faced in the playoffs last October.
"It was a lot of learning, a lot of ups and downs the last couple years, but it was also exciting," Schumaker said of his tenure. "Built a lot of friendships here. You'll have these relationships forever."
Eleven months ago, Schumaker won the NL Manager of the Year after completing his rookie season with the club. He secured 72 votes, easily more than finalists Craig Counsell and Brian Snitker.
"It was never about me," he said after winning the award. "I just did whatever I could to win that day."
The Marlins shook up their front office in the offseason, and reports that new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix may look in a new direction quickly began to surface as this season opened.
It didn't help matters that Miami kicked off the season on a nine-game losing streak, a run in that featured three opponents, the Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Angels and St. Louis Cardinals, who are nowhere near postseason contention. The Marlins finished April at 7-24, and it seemed the club was already, at that point, looking to the future.
"Someone had to take a chance on me first," Schumaker said. "And I'll never forget that. So, I don't know if it's the end or not, but I'm super grateful to have been given the opportunity."