Report: Derek Jeter plucks Yankees exec to join him in Marlins front office
If you had any doubt Derek Jeter’s new regime as owner of the Miami Marlins would resemble the New York Yankees, here’s this news: Jeter has plucked a Yankees exec to join him in the Marlins front office.
According to a report from MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, Gary Denbo, the Yankees’ vice president of player development, will take a job with Jeter’s Marlins. It appears to be a promotion for Denbo, 56, whose title in Miami will reportedly be director of player development and scouting.
Denbo had three tours of duty with the Yankees, taking on a number of roles, from hitting coach and minor-league manager to scouting. He’d been with the Yankees in this lastest stint since 2009. Feinsand explained more of Jeter’s connection of Denbo:
Jeter and Denbo have a long history together. Denbo has spent more than two decades with the Yankees in a variety of positions, managing Jeter in the Minor Leagues and serving as the Yankees’ hitting coach in 2001.
When Jeter was struggling at the plate in 2011, he spent time with Denbo in Tampa during a June stint on the disabled list and worked on his swing, hitting .331 for the remainder of the season after returning on July 4.
Jim Hendry, a special assistant to GM Brian Cashman, has been rumored to be a candidate to join the Marlins, possibly as GM, but a source said there has been no contract between the two parties.
The early part of Jeter’s tenure has been somewhat controversial in that outgoing team president David Sampson has been asked to fire people on Jeter’s behalf. Some of them being Hall of Famers and long-time team ambassadors.
Alas, no one ever said regime changes were easy.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
