Marlins Hitting Coach Accused Of Mistreating Players
MIAMI (CBSMiami/The Miami Herald) – The Marlins hitting coach has resigned following accusations of mistreatment toward one of the players according to sources.
The resignation of Coach Tino Martinez comes after a player notified the team that Martinez got angry and unjustly grabbed him by his neck and neck chain, according to CBS4 news partner, The Miami Herald and multiple sources the paper mentioned.
Earlier Sunday the paper reported, team owner, Jeffrey Loria, who hired Martinez, originally had nixed the resignation idea.
Later in the day, it was reported Martinez's resignation was accepted.
Two different sources stated the agent for rookie second baseman Derek Dietrich, contacted Marlins team officials about the alleged mistreatment that took place several months ago.
Just last week, Dietrich was demoted to the minors.
Dietrich's agent, David Meter, would neither confirm nor deny that the incident took place to the paper.
"I'd rather not address it," Meter said. "I think it's a team issue."
A team official refused to say whether the club is looking into the matter.
"I'm sure if there is an issue, it will be addressed," said Marlins spokesman P.J. Loyello.
The Major League Baseball Players' Association was also made aware of the incident and according to the paper, the union contacted the Commissioner's office.
The Commissioner's office is expected to reach out to the Marlins Tuesday about the matter.
One Marlins player, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity, said Martinez has been verbally abusive to players on a number of occasions since the start of spring training in February. A few players have complained to Redmond about Martinez's behavior the paper reported.
"It's all shocked everybody," the player said. "He uses intimidation. It's been a problem since day one."
Dietrich isn't the only player who has been the subject of mistreatment according to the sources the paper quoted.
Those sources said Martinez's profanity-laced eruptions were seen by witnesses and other players who have been attacked verbally by Martinez include outfielder Justin Ruggiano, infielder Chris Valaika and minor-league infielder Matt Downs. Another source said the list of players is much larger than that.
Martinez, 45, is a 16-year major league veteran and two-time All-Star who amassed 1,925 hits, mostly with the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners.
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