The Marlins have hired four-time World Series champion and former Yankees first baseman Tino Martinez to be their new hitting coach.
Though he has no professional coaching experience, Martinez, 44, has stayed involved in baseball since retiring after the 2005 season. He has served as a Yankees spring instructor and special assistant to general manager Brian Cashman, and has also been an analyst for YES Network broadcasts.
The Red Sox were also reportedly interested in Martinez as their hitting coach before the Marlins snatched him up Thursday.
The Tampa native finished his career as a .271 career hitter with 339 home runs and 1,271 RBI in 16 major league seasons. A former first round pick of the Mariners, Martinez finished second in the MVP voting in 1997 when he it .296 with 44 homers and 141 RBI.
The Marlins finished next-to-last in the National League in scoring last season with 609 runs. They hit .244 (13th out of 16 NL teams) as a team and hit 137 home runs (13th).
