The San Jose Marlins are one of the original founding teams of SJ NABA. They have won 5 divisional championships in the past 10 seasons, and are currently the back-to-back defending champions of the NorCal Firecracker Tournament hosted by SJ NABA every 4th of July weekend. Their team manager, Andrew Kutsenda, has been at the helm of all of this since 2016. Now we hear the sun might be setting on Kutsenda's involvement with the Marlins. We sat down to get some answers.

 

Let's get right into it. Rumor has it you're stepping down from the Marlins. Is that true?

Well, yes and no. A lot has changed in my life. When I first got involved with the Marlins we were just a ragtag group of adult ball players. I think we went 6-14 our first year as a team. Just a group of friends trying to squeeze the last ounces of talent out of our rapidly decaying knees and elbows. It's been an incredible journey watching the team grow over the years and experiencing everything we've all accomplished together. The guys on the team today; the guys who helped me re-start the team; heck the guys who brought me onto the Marlins in the first place - will always be a family to me. 

 

But I've also found another family in the SJ NABA community. I have a passion for building communities and building teams and I feel like I've done that with the Marlins. I'm not involved in the Marlins day to day operations anymore and haven't been for the past couple of years. So yeah, I won't be the team manager any more. But truth be told, I haven't been in that capacity for quite some time.

 

That responsibility has landed on Zack Berman in D1, Chris Hyland in D2, and Randy Mai in D3. All three of whom have done an exemplary job in my stead. The Marlins have been the same core group of guys for the past several years now, so in many ways, the team manages itself. The team very rarely brings in any new players, so the veteran guys have grown accustomed to picking each other up and policing their own. I'm in absolutely no place to be throwing cogs into the gears of something that is already running so well. I'll still be involved in the logistics end of things for the Marlins. And I'm still passionate about the team's personnel and the Marlins tournament team. I'll still be around in one capacity or another for the Marlins.
 

But yeah, I'll no longer be involved in their game-day decision-making.

 

How do you think this will impact the rest of SJ NABA?

I hope it doesn't. Again, it is business as usual for me. My eyes are set on expanding and improving SJ NABA to the best of my ability. I was told last year that SJ NABA is the 9th largest adult league in the entire country. Which, in itself, is incredible considering where we started from. So I want to double down and commit to making the league as strong and prosperous as possible. Max and I talk all the time about the responsibility we have to this community. And how so many people have put their trust in us and in this league. I want to continue to try and honor that trust. 

 

The Marlins have always been held to higher standards because of my involvement with both the team and the league. For any due process, the Marlins always had to be the example for any disciplinary situations to demonstrate league impartiality. I applaud Max and the rest of the SJ NABA leadership team for being and continuing to be fair and equitable throughout the years.
 

Even though I'm taking a step back, I trust the coaches to continue to uphold the integrity and legacy of the Marlins organization. 

 

 

What's next for the Marlins?

The San Jose Marlins have been a luxury brand of California baseball for quite some time now. They've won championships here locally, up and down California, and are even back-to-back reigning champions in Las Vegas.
 

I feel any team, at this point, has to go through the Marlins to consider themselves a championship caliber team in the Bay Area. They're well-built. Well coached. And well run. Regardless of my involvement going forward, they're going to be a competitive team.

 

A common misconception is that I founded the Marlins. That credit goes to a couple of guys who still play on the team to this very day. I revived the team in 2016 with some close friends of mine, and have been just trying to figure things out every day since then. The team existed before me, and it will exist long after me. I loved my days as the team's manager, but truth be told I haven't been able to make it to many Marlins games these past couple of years. My attention on Sundays has been on making sure the league games run smoothly, bouncing around field to field trying to ensure everything is operating at the highest level possible.

 

Will the Marlins be returning for the 4th of July tournament this year?

No, the Marlins will not be participating in the NorCal Firecracker tournament this year. For one, life is coming at me pretty fast and I'll likely be indisposed for much of the second half of 2024. But also, the Marlins just won the damn thing in back-to-back years. I don't think there's anything left for the guys to prove. I want them to enjoy their holiday weekend with their friends and families and stay laser-focused on the World Series tournament in Arizona in October - a tournament in which we've gone to the finals in 3 of the past 4 years but have yet to pull out a championship victory. I look forward to seeing a new champion crowned in this year's upcoming 4th of July Tournament and letting another Nor Cal team's legacy begin.

 

Are you going to be returning as a player?

No. A hard, emphatic no on that from me. I loved playing when I did. But my body just can't handle it anymore. I'm perfectly content in the third base coach's box or, more commonly, making small talk with friends in the grandstand. Plus, I feel more like a circus act than a player these days anyway. The last time I pitched in a scrimmage game, both teams just made El Presidente jokes the whole time. I always have a great time, of course, but I feel more like a sideshow than a ballplayer when I'm in fair territory nowadays. If I ever played again, I'd probably go moonlight in another league somewhere where no one knew who I was. It'd be a lot easier if all I felt responsible for was my performance. 

 

What's next?

Truth be told, I don't think a ton is going to change for me. I'll still be at SJ NABA full-time. I'll still be traveling with the various SJNABA tournament teams. I'll still be handling logistics and personnel decisions for the Marlins and handling anything else anyone needs of me. I do look forward to spending more time with Jenna and with my family. 

 

I'm just formalizing what so many people already know. The Marlins have been their own thing for the past several years, and have been running great in my absence. I'll still be available to the Marlins or to SJ NABA or to anyone else who needs me.

 

I'm passionate about this league. And I'm passionate about building and growing baseball teams. I would like to help facilitate more SJ NABA teams' participation in national tournaments. And I would like to spend more time helping develop the newer teams. Whether it be their systems, their talent base, or their coaching - I hope to be a resource to any team that might need me.

 

SJ NABA is the premier league in Northern California. It's one of the premier leagues in the entire country. And it's recognized as such. I'm incredibly proud of all of the managers and players that make that possible. It's an incredible time in Bay Area baseball. I'm just so grateful to be a part of it and I don't think I could leave it even if I tried. I think I'd be a fool to be anywhere else.

 

I look forward to keeping my eye keenly focused on improving and growing SJ NABA as a whole. We've started to break ground on exciting programs like the NABA Cares initiative to help give back to the larger community. That's been a passion project of mine for the past several years that focuses on channeling the manpower we have into services for our local community and providing baseball education and equipment for underprivileged kids. I couldn't be more excited to finally start rolling that out in 2024 and to be spearheading a program that can hopefully give back to a community that has given us so much.

 

Right now, I've got my head down focusing on getting everything situated for the 2024 Spring season. We've got some exciting new things for the coaches and players this year and I can't wait to share with them everything we have in store!