Derek Jeter’s actions mean more than hollow words

When it comes to the state of the Miami Marlins, the words of CEO Derek Jeter mean almost nothing.

Not to say that the second-year chief executive is a liar, but when he makes a decision that’s impactful to the organization and offers no real explanation, then his words are merely hollow.

Chip Bowers was relieved of his duties as president of business operations on Thursday. Which meant Jeter was made available to reporters on Friday to find out why the seemingly sudden change in personnel. Bowers was a former Golden State Warriors marketing officer prior to joining the Marlins 14 months ago. He was tasked with negotiating for a new television deal and ballpark naming rights before his firing.

“It was a decision we didn’t make lightly, or spontaneously,” said Jeter, who also pointed out that the decision was made solely by him. “A lot of thought went into this. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes. We have an ownership group that has high expectations, and at times we move at a challenging pace.

“This has to do with our overall business strategy. We felt as though there was a change needed in the leadership group.”

A lot of factors went into this decision, according to Jeter. Factors that he had no interest in divulging despite the dutiful inquiries of the local media. When Local 10’s Will Manso asked Jeter about where the Marlins stands on revenue, he replied, “You keep going, I keep telling you I’m not going to go into details.”

This is more about Jeter than Bowers. As the CEO, everything runs though him. Because of his lack of details, his message usually falls on deaf ears. Even when trying to justify a course of action, there is nothing he’s been willing to say that a press release wouldn’t cover. What truly matters are his actions and the result, a cause and effect, if you will.

His actions produced a Hall of Fame career as a shortstop for the New York Yankees. His actions in Miami have put in place a rebuilding strategy similar to that of the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs, and a fresh rebrand. Marlins Park has been revamped with cooler ascetics and cheaper concessions without the sacrifice of quality. An internal effort has been made to cultivate a bilingual organization in Miami from players to staffers.

“Our ownership group has invested a lot of money into giving our team the tools to be successful,” Jeter said. “We have high expectations.”

The results so far is an improved minor league system with pitching prospects stacked from Single-A Jupiter to Triple-A New Orleans. But as of now, the big league club is once again in last place in front of low attendance. Those results are expected to change in due time, which requires patience that he admittedly lacks.

Jeter said he’s, “working hard on gaining the trust of our fan base,” but trust is a two-way street. Currently the fans don’t have enough trust in Jeter’s plan to come to the games and Jeter doesn’t have enough trust in the media to explain any of his moves with substance. He said as much in his Daily Show appearance in South Beach after the 2018 season.

This is the one occasion where you’re better off listening with your eyes than your ears.