What angers the Marlins manager and why it’s a good thing. And wild card tiebreakers

Affable, upbeat, respectful Skip Schumaker rarely — if ever — speaks in angry terms with reporters or even discusses what makes him angry.

But a conversation with the Marlins manager last week revealed one thing that irritates him.

“I hate when someone says, ‘That’s just who he is,’” Schumaker said. “That [ticks] me off. It really does. It’s a challenge to our staff. Well, how can you get a guy better then [if you simply say, that’s who this player is]? I do feel you can get people better. It’s up to the player ultimately. But to say this is who he is, it bothers me.”

Schumaker went off on that tangent when asked what he has learned this year about reliever Tanner Scott. But it also speaks to one of the strengths of this coaching staff, and it’s the highest compliment that can be paid to Schumaker and his staff: Several Marlins have improved under their watch.

Third baseman Jake Burger, albeit in a limited sample size, has gone from one of the worst on-base percentage players in baseball with the White Sox to pretty good in that regard, while maintaining his elite power.

Jesus Sanchez also has seen his on-base percentage rise.

Scott, working with returning pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr., has improved his control and evolved from an erratic closer with a bloated ERA to one of the more reliable relievers in the National League.

Burger stands as the best example of a player and coaching staff working to correct a shortcoming.

When the Marlins traded for him, he had the fifth-worst on-base percentage and sixth-highest strikeout rate (31.6 percent) of any player in the majors (minimum 300 plate appearances).

Burger played nearly the equivalent of a full season through three years with Chicago (154 games) and came to Miami as career .230 hitter (.291 on base) with big power numbers (34 homers, 81 RBI) and 173 K in 500 at-bats.

As a Marlin? He’s hitting .296 (37 for 115) with a .349 on-base percentage with nine doubles, six home runs, 17 RBI and 31 strikeouts in 135 at-bats.

The higher average isn’t a coincidence. After the trade, Burger and hitting coach Brant Brown immediately went to work, studying video that resulted in what Burger termed “tweaks mechanically.”

Burger, who was acquired from the White Sox for pitching prospect Jake Eder, explained the change this way: “I always have a big hip load when I’m trying to do too much. Like physics, every action has a reaction. It’s trying not to overswing.

“You have a specific window in the zone that you can hit out of the park. But more times than not, you’re not going to be able to make contact as much. It’s controlling that back side. It’s a fine line.”

The Marlins explained to Burger than “the looser and calmer and smoother you are [as a hitter], your hands are going to be even quicker. You are still going to see the same exit velocities.

“[In his first two weeks as a Marlin], it felt like I was only hitting singles and doubles because I was hitting the ball so low. But that comes with changing your mechanics. Once you find your sweet spot, you start elevating the ball.”

Schumaker said the Marlins made the trade for Burger — who is under team control through 2028 — with the conviction that his bat-to-ball skills could be improved.

“Talking with a couple guys in Chicago and a guy that had him last year, we knew how his mind worked, and we felt with [coaches Brant Brown and John Mabry], the way they game planned and attacked pitchers, you have to be a smart hitter to understand some of these game plans they put together,” Schumaker said.

“You see how hard he impacts the baseball, and Brant and the staff thought if he could game plan a little differently, make a few adjustments, it could really work and it’s a credit to Burger. He and [Josh] Bell are the first guys that are here and attacking the game plan with the hitting guys, understanding what they’re trying to do to him and attacking maybe some of their own weaknesses they’re trying to get through.

“Jake has been amazing on the defensive side. It’s one of the better trades for me. To have him for a number of years is really exciting.”

What Burger was in Chicago — a low-average, high-power guy — simply wasn’t enough to make him happy.

“In college [at Missouri State, where he hit .328 to .342 in all three of his seasons], I felt I was an average and power guy, a hitter than can do both,” he said. “That is who I am. I got into the cycle of trying to hit home runs and trying to hit for power, and everything else falls by the wayside — pitch recognition, zone awareness and hitting for average.

“I looked at that, and I’m glad I got here with Brownie and they saw some stuff to help me along with that — now it’s combining the average and power and try to be who I feel like I am.”

With Scott, the improvement has been pronounced: After allowing 101 baserunners in 62 innings last season (when he saved 20 games and had a 4.23 ERA), Scott has permitted only 71 in 68 1/3 innings. His walks are way down (from 46 in 62 1/3 innings last season to 24 in 68 1/3 this season), largely a byproduct of throwing more first-pitch strikes. He has a sterling 2.24 ERA, a 7-4 record and seven saves.

What did Schumaker learn about Scott this season?

That he has “huge stones,” the manager said. “I put him in every situation, ninth inning, seventh inning, leverage situations and he’s got a slow heartbeat. I know what the numbers were last year, but every year is different and you learn from the year before. You’re allowed to grow.”

Scott took over the closer’s role again after David Robertson struggled badly after being acquired from the Mets.

“Is he going to make every save? No. That’s not reality. He’s a human,” Schumaker said. “But we have put him in 1, 2, 3, 4 hole slots every time; he hasn’t gotten 7, 8, 9 hitters. He’s gotten the big boys and he’s punching out, it feels like, two an inning. Super proud of his growth and maturity and where he’s at as a player.”

Opponents have hit just .196 against Scott, compared with .236 last season.

With a combination of mechanical tweaks and improved preparation, Jesus Sanchez has gone from .214 average and .280 on base in 2022 to .266 and .334.

Schumaker said one thing the Marlins must still figure out is whether the left-handed-hitting Sanchez is not “just a platoon” guy. He’s hitting .269 against right-handers and .243 (but in just 37 at-bats) against lefties.

THIS AND THAT

The Marlins entered play on Tuesday 1.5 games behind Arizona for the National League’s third and final wild card spot.

Here are the wild card tiebreakers if the Marlins finish tied for the third wild card spot:

▪ 1. Head-to-head record.

▪ 2. Intradivision record, meaning the teams’ records inside their own divisions.

▪ 3. Interdivision record. If the first two tiebreakers resolve nothing, the third tiebreaker is how teams fared against teams within their league but outside of their division. So for the Marlins, that would be their record against National League Central and West teams.

▪ 4. Last Half of intraleague games. The teams’ records, over their final 81 games, against teams within their league (AL for AL teams, NL for NL teams).