MIAMI – The Miami Marlins today announced the Managers for the club’s Minor League affiliates for the 2022 season.
Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp: Daren Brown
Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos: Kevin Randel
Single-A Beloit Sky Carp: Jorge Hernández
Single-A Jupiter Hammerheads: Ángel Espada
Florida Complex League (FCL) Marlins: Luis Dorante Sr.
Dominican Summer League (DSL) Marlins: Nelson Prada
Daren Brown joins the Miami Marlins organization, serving as Manager for Triple-A Jacksonville for the 2022 season. Brown has more than 20 years of managerial experience, most recently as the inaugural manager for the Kingsport Axmen, who were named the 2021 Appalachian League Organization of the Year.
During his coaching career, Brown has served as Manager at all levels, including in Major League Baseball. He has spent most of his coaching career with the Seattle Mariners organization, serving as Manager of the Mariners in 2010 and Third Base Coach in 2013. Brown is the winningest manager in club history for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers, and has more than 1,200 wins over his managerial career.
Kevin Randel returns as Manager of Double-A Pensacola, marking his seventh season of his managerial career in the Marlins organization and third at the Double-A level. Randel led the Blue Wahoos to a winning record of 57-54 in 2021.
Randel was selected by the Marlins in the 13th round of the 2002 MLB Draft and began his coaching career with the club in 2010 as hitting coach for Single-A Greensboro. Following a three-year stint as hitting coach for Double-A Jacksonville (2012-14), Randel began his managerial career with Greensboro in 2015, a position he held for two seasons before being promoted to Manager of High-A Jupiter for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He has led his clubs to winning records in two of the last three seasons.
Jorge Hernández enters his first season as Manager for Single-A Beloit and his 16th year with the Marlins organization. Hernández spent the 2021 season as Manager of Single-A Jupiter, after serving as the Marlins’ Minor League Infield Coordinator for five seasons.
Under Hernández’s watch, the Jupiter Hammerheads finished with a 61-56 record last year. He began his coaching career in 1993 as hitting coach for the University of Mobile and started coaching professionally in 2004 as hitting coach for the Pensacola Pelicans of the Independent League.
Ángel Espada begins his 14th season with the Marlins organization, joining Single-A Jupiter as Manager after serving two seasons as Latin America Field Coordinator for the Marlins organization. Espada previously managed for six years, beginning in 2012 for the Single-A affiliate – a position he held for five years before managing the DSL Marlins in 2019.
Espada began his coaching career with the Marlins in 2009 as hitting coach for the GCL Marlins, before being quickly promoted to hitting coach of Triple-A New Orleans midseason in 2010.
Luis Dorante Sr. returns as Manager for the Florida Complex League Marlins following a 27-28 mark in 2021. Dorante also spent six seasons with the Marlins organization from 2002-07. Prior to his return last year, he spent nine seasons as a Manager and coach in the New York Yankees organization.
Dorante was named the Appalachian League Manager of the Year in 2017 and 2019, and led Pulaski to the Appalachian League Championship in 2017. He also served as a coach for Double-A Trenton in 2013 when the club won the Eastern League Championship.
Nelson Prada returns for his second season with the DSL Marlins, his first as Manager. Last season marked Prada’s first with the organization, serving as hitting coach for the DSL Marlins. He spent the previous eight seasons in the Philadelphia Phillies Player Development staff, most recently as an Assistant Coach for Double-A Reading in 2019-20.
Prior to joining the Phillies organization, Prada had spent his entire professional baseball career, playing and coaching, with the Minnesota Twins. He began his coaching career with the Twins in 1999, following his playing career that lasted four years (1995-98). He has had winning records in seven of his 10 seasons as Minor League Manager.
