Tennessee’s Manny Marin shines when lights are brightest

HOUSTON – Tennessee freshman Manny Marin wasn’t intimidated about fighting for playing time with the defending national champions. For as long as he can remember, he can hear his father Jorge urging him to realize he’ll be fine as long as he has faith.

To be clear, it helps to have talent. Marin definitely has an abundance of baseball talent. He also has been blessed with strong self confidence, which is evident by the way he carries himself on and off the field for the No. 1 team in the country.

So it probably shouldn’t have been a surprise that Marin hit his first collegiate home run on the biggest stage the Volunteers have played on early this season. The 6-foot-1, 181-pounder from Miami’s Westminster Christian School drilled a solo home run on Feb. 28 at Daikin Park, the home of the Houston Astros.

“He likes this environment,” Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said of Marin. “And the other coaches know him even better than I do and tip you off on that. He wants this. I think that’s one of his strengths. He’d rather … the lights be brighter, a bigger stage or the competition.”

Manny Marin credits parents

Manny Marin takes nothing for granted. He appreciates that his Cuban father Jorge Marin and Colombian mother Gabriela Marin have given him an easier upbringing than they had. 

Manny Marin takes pride in representing his Latino roots and, especially, the Marin surname on the back of his jersey.

“Growing up my parents and mom didn’t have it as good as I do,” he says. “I was able to come up a lot better than them, but it’s huge. Knowing that I represent my family, my dad, I know everything I do he’s the first one watching. My mom (too). It’s huge.”

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Marin lights up when he discusses his favorite dishes. He loves pollo asado, which is grilled or roasted chicken.

“Ropa vieja is amazing,” he says of the beef stew that is considered Cuba’s national dish. “But you can’t go wrong with a classic (bistec de) palomilla. It’s amazing.”

Marin, who played on the 18U USA Baseball team, was rated as the No. 88 player in the Class of 2024 by Perfect Game. He was rated the No. 14 player in talent-rich Florida and the No. 23 shortstop in the nation for his class.

The Hialeah, Fla., native is off to a strong start at Tennessee. He is hitting .381 with a home run, a double and two RBIs over seven starts for the Vols. Some players, especially freshmen, might be overwhelmed by the pressure of starting for a Southeastern Conference power, never mind the defending champions. Marin is not.

Fitting in

“It’s just playing baseball,” he said. “It’s the same as everywhere else. … The coaches do a great job letting us know it’s the same thing every day and (to) just slow things down and everything will be OK.”

Marin had a pair of hits on Feb. 14 in his first collegiate start against Hofstra. He got his first extra-base hit with a double nine days later against Samford. The competition level went up during the Astros Foundation College Classic at Daikin Park, formally known as Minute Maid Park.

He was 2-for-3 with his first home run against Oklahoma State on Feb. 28. A day later against Rice, he was 0-for-3 with an RBI, the second of his college career. He capped the tournament with a 1-for-4 performance against Arizona as Tennessee finished 3-0 to win Classic.

“I think (Marin) likes that stuff,” Vitello says of the MLB stadium environment. “So that’s a strength. And it’s up to him because he is young to figure out how to utilize that strength as best as possible. But he’s also got a high level of skill. We were very fortunate to have him and some other guys … to make it to campus.”