Baseball moves Marrow back to Maryland as minors coach

Troy Marrow didn't begin his life in the Baltimore area, but he feels like he's back home.

Though the seeds were planted in New York, where he learned to cheer for the Yankees with his father, Glenn, a Brooklyn native, the roots run deep here. They keep latching onto him.

The Orioles hired Marrow as fundamentals coach in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League, returning him to the area once again before the minor league season begins. The pull is always so strong.

Marrow, 29, moved to Baltimore in 1996, attended Calvert Hall and graduated from Loyola-Blakefield in 2010, an infielder and team captain as a senior. He was chosen to the All-MEAC team as a sophomore at North Carolina Central University, but underwent two labrum surgeries in his shoulder, came back to play as a red-shirt senior and blew out his knee.

The sport stayed in his blood. He'd just have to find another outlet.

Marrow wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and become a lawyer, which is why he chose N.C. Central, but juggling pre-law and baseball became too difficult and he switched majors to sports management.

An opportunity to work as a graduate assistant kept Marrow at N.C. Central for two more years. He was paired with the infielders and hitters, and also served as bullpen coach.

"Getting hurt midway through the season, I was at the point where I was graduating and had to make that plan for the future," he said. "I sat down with my head coach at the time, Jim Koerner, and we talked about it, about me possibly coaching afterward, and it just came about. It was a great transition."

There would be others.

Marrow returned to the Maryland area in 2017 after accepting a position as a volunteer assistant at George Washington University. He had completed an internship with the Under-18 National Team at USA Baseball, where he met Colonials head coach Gregg Ritchie.

Next came the latest twist in Marrow's career path - his inclusion in Major League Baseball's inaugural Diversity Fellowship Program in 2018, which strived to develop a broader pool of minority and female talent for careers within the sport.

Marrow interviewed with the Rays and Padres, and eventually was hired by the Giants - his responsibilities included assisting with amateur scouting reports and supporting other research within the front office for more than a year - but only after he did some soul searching and decided to pursue the opportunity.

Moving didn't appeal to Marrow and he hesitated before submitting an application. He had just relocated from North Carolina. Did he really want to leave again?

"I go back to when I was in grad school," he said. "One of my goals was to become a Division I head coach by the time I was 30 and I felt like I was on a great path to that, getting my experience with USA Baseball and with Coach Ritchie at GW. I was set in stone about pursing that dream, but then you kind of realize that you can't always just put a finite number on everything.

"You know college baseball is always there, but that opportunity to work for Major League Baseball isn't always there. I actually applied literally on the last day for the program."

Marrow's interests pivoted to becoming a general manager, the time spent with USA Baseball giving him insight into "how you put a team together," he said, and the Giants introducing him to life in a major league front office.

"The playing side, I didn't think about that all, but I still missed coaching a little bit, being on the field," he said. "That was a huge transition. I had to kind of refocus my direction."

The Orioles caused it to happen again.

Director of player development Matt Blood stayed in contact with Marrow after they intersected at USA Baseball. Blood was the director.

"He reached out to me, saying that they had an open position for a fundamentals coach, and then I applied and had my interviews, and the next thing you know I got the job. And I'm very excited to start," Marrow said.

"It's just keeping those great relationships, which definitely helped."

"Troy's humility and desire to learn is so genuine, and he has a natural ability to connect with people," Blood said. "He's also a local Baltimore product with an array of impressive experience, playing and coaching collegiately, as well as working for USA Baseball and in a major league front office. He's someone we have known and kept up with for a while now and we're excited that we were able to bring him into the organization."

Fundamentals coach is a relatively new position in the minors, with the Orioles introducing it into their system in 2020. Marrow will be working with the outfielders and offering instruction in baserunning, but also helping out with the hitters. Fungoes, throwing batting practice, whatever they want.

"You've got your hands in everything that's needed," he said.

Marrow just returned home this week after a trip to the Dominican Republic, where he assisted at a winter camp for recent international signings and other players in the system. He'll head down to Florida in a couple of weeks for minor league spring training.

A new chapter, a new challenge, in a life filled with them before his 30th birthday.

"That's one of the things that's unique about this whole opportunity," he said. "Some people could be like, 'Kind of old to be 29 just as you're starting as a fundamentals coach,' but I think my resume speaks for itself.

"I've always been one who tries not to put finite numbers on everything and tries to get as much experience in different departments as I can to know exactly what I want to do in the future."

It's no longer filling a role in the front office.

"I think it's still there a little bit, but now I just want to get back on the field," he said.

"My goal is to become a Major League Baseball coach. I realize how much I enjoy being on the field and getting to interact with players and other coaches. And also having some sort of hybrid role, because who knows where the game is going to go from here? That's something that I would absolutely love to do."

Perhaps it will happen with the Orioles, whether he remains home or finds his way back again.

"I think it hasn't even fully hit me yet," he said. "Unfortunately, I didn't root for the Orioles growing up, but I went to all the games, and just being able to come back and work for your hometown team is almost a dream come true. You can't write stories like this."

Funny how life works out.

"It's unbelievable."