Kerwin Danley, Alfonso Marquez make MLB history with promotion to crew chief
After 23 years as an umpire, Kerwin Danley will be promoted to crew chief. With the move, Danley will become the first ever African American to hold that position in Major League Baseball, the league announced Thursday.
Danley, 58, won’t be the only umpire making history this season. Alfonso Marquez — who’s been a major-league ump for 20 seasons — will also be a crew chief in 2020. Marquez will be the first Latino-born crew chief in MLB.
Danley and Marquez, 47, have worked on five World Series crews throughout their careers. Danley most recently worked the 2018 World Series, which saw the Boston Red Sox take home another title. Marquez’s last World Series appointment came in 2015, in which the Kansas City Royals topped the New York Mets.
Two other umpires — Dan Iassogna and Jim Reynolds — have also been promoted to crew chiefs. Those two — along with Danley and Marquez — will take over for Gary Cederstrom, Dana DeMuth, Mike Everitt and Jeff Kellogg, all of who retired from umpiring in the offseason.
If you don’t recognize any of those names, that’s a good thing. Umpires who don’t give fans a reason to complain are usually doing an excellent job.
Here’s hoping the four new MLB crew chiefs continue on that track in their new roles.
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