Skip Schumaker

Jared Michael Schumaker

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 175 lb.
• School University of California, Santa Barbara
• High School Aliso Niguel High School
• Debut June 8, 2005
• Final Game October 4, 2015
• Born February 3, 1980 in Torrance, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Schumaker catches a ceremonial first pitch in 2007 thrown by a member of the Air Force

Skip Schumaker was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 5th round of the 2001 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Steve Gossett and made his pro debut that summer.

Schumaker was on Team USA for the qualifier for the 2008 Olympics. He batted .405/.477/.555 and led the team with 15 runs as they won the tournament.

He played exclusively in the outfield in his first four major league seasons (2005-2008), then was switched to second base and became the Cards' regular second baseman from 2009 to 2011. In 2008 and 2009, he batted over .300 while playing 153 games each season and scoring 87 and 85 runs. He was usually the team's second-place hitter during those years.

Schumaker was batting for the Cardinals in Game 4 of the 2011 NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies when a squirrel darted across the field at Busch Stadium and crossed home plate. Cardinal players adopted the "rally squirrel" as their team mascot, and it served them well: not only did they upset the heavily-favored Phillies, but they won their next two series as well, including a dramatic, come-from-behind seven-game win over the Texas Rangers in the 2011 World Series. As a nod to the incident, Topps issued a baseball card in its 2012 set featuring only Schumaker's right leg and the now famous squirrel bounding over the plate.

Skip played one more season with the Cardinals in 2012, splitting time between second base and the outfield; Daniel Descalso and Tyler Greene shared playing time with him at second, but it was Matt Carpenter who truly succeeded him, taking over full-time at the position in 2013 and having an outstanding year. By that point Schumaker had moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers, having been traded for minor leaguer Jake Lemmerman before the 2013 season. He got some playing tiome backing up Mark Ellis at second base and filling in for Matt Kemp in center and Andre Ethier in right field during the year and also pinch-hitting quite a bit, hitting .263 in 125 games. He also started some games in the NLDS as Ethier, now the regular center fielder, was dealing with some injury issues. After the season, he became a free agent and signed a two-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds, with the expectation that he would continue to be a back-up at multiple positions.

Shumaker made three pitching appearances during his major league career, once with the Cards in 2011 when he gave up two runs in an inning, and twice with the Dodgers in 2013, when he kept a clean sheet for two innings. All three outings came in the final inning of games in which his team was trailing by a large score.

After finishing his playing career, Schumaker joined the San Diego Padres organization in 2016 as an assistant to baseball operations & player development. He continued in this role in 2017. In 2018, he was named first base coach of the Padres and remained in the position until the end of the 2019 season. His responsibilities also included coaching outfielders and baserunners. After the hiring of Jayce Tingler to replace Andy Green as the Padres' manager, he was given the unprecedented title of "Associate Manager", which was different from the more traditional "bench coach", as Bobby Dickerson was hired to fill the latter position. He was let go at the same time as Tingler at the end of the 2021 season and in 2022 returned to the Cardinals where he was named bench coach under new manager Oliver Marmol.

Schumaker stayed only one season with the Cardinals as following the season he was named manager of the Miami Marlins for 2023. In his first season, he led the Marlins to the postseason for the first time since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and only the second time since their second World Series title in 2003. In recognition of his good work, he was named the National League Manager of the Year. He returned to manage the Marlins in 2024, but the season started poorly and never really improved. Shortly after the season began, reports circulated that the 2025 option on Schumaker's contract had been voided during the offseason upon his request. It was confirmed on September 28th that Schumaker would not return for a third season and would be managing elsewhere in 2025.

Notable Achievement

• Won two World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006 and 2011 (he did not play in the 2006 World Series)
• NL Manager of the Year Award (2023)
• Postseason Appearance: 1 (2023/Wild Card)

Preceded by Don Mattingly

Miami Marlins Manager 2023-2024

Succeeded by Clayton McCullough

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
2023	Miami Marlins	National League	84-78	3rd	Miami Marlins	Lost NLWC
2024	Miami Marlins	National League	62-100	5th	Miami Marlins

Further Reading

• PauL Casella: "Hyde, Schumaker named Managers of Year after stunning turnarounds", mlb.com, November 14, 2023. [1]
• Christina De Nicola: "Schumaker named next Marlins manager", mlb.com, October 25, 2022. [2]
• Christina De Nicola: "Schumaker's first camp defined by energy, respect and food trucks", mlb.com, February 18, 2023. [3]
• Barry Jackson (Miami Herald): "As expected Marlins, Schumaker part ways. Where things stand", Yahoo! News, September 28, 2024. [4]
• Tim Reynolds (Associated Press): "Skip Schumaker hired as manager of Miami Marlins", Yahoo! News, October 25, 2022. [5]

Related Sites

• Skip Schumaker on mlb.com