May 26, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Trevor Williams (32) is greeted by first base coach Craig Driver (81) after hitting a single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Dodgers Lose Key Coach to Marlins

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By Patrick Warren | Last updated Nov 20, 2025 1:00 PM ET

When you win back-to-back World Series championships, your coaching staff often gets poached.

At least that was the case for the Los Angeles Dodgers, whose catching coordinator Craig Driver was hired as the new first base coach for the Miami Marlins.

After former first base coach Tyler Smarslok left Miami to join the Washington Nationals as a field coordinator, manager Clayton McCullough brought in a familiar face in Driver.

The two worked closely together in Los Angeles in 2024 before McCullough left to take the managerial role in Miami. Now, the two will reunite again as the Marlins seek to make the playoffs for the first time since 2023.

Driver played college baseball at Columbia Basin College and University of Puget Sound before beginning his coaching career at Pugent Sound. After stints at Central Washington University and Yale University, Driver made his way to the big leagues as the bullpen catcher and receiving coach in 2018 and 2019 for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Driver then spent the 2020-23 seasons with the Chicago Cubs as their first base and catching coach before spending the past two seasons with the Dodgers as a catching and bullpen coach.

Driver joins newly hired Marlins assistant hitting coaches Chris Hess and Corbin Day, who came over from the Red Sox and Minnesota Twins organiztions, respectively.

In each of Driver's two seasons with the Dodgers, catcher Will Smith was named to back-to-back All-Star teams. Additionally, Driver helped oversee the development of rookie catcher Dalton Rushing, the Dodgers top ranked prospect from 2025 who made his MLB debut in relief of Smith, who missed time this season with a hairline fracture in his right hand.

Rushing appeared in 53 games for the Dodgers, batting .204/.258/.324 with four home runs and five doubles.

"He's a hitter. … He's a strong kid," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Rushing's debut. "He just takes good at-bats, and he controls the strike zone. And there's some slug in there, too."

There is no intel yet regarding who the Dodgers will hire to replace Driver, but they will likely look to fill the role quickly as players will report back to the team in mid-February to prepare for spring training.