David Carpenter, Holdovers Return as Jumbo Shrimp Prepare to Defend Triple-A Title

David Carpenter will return to manage the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, giving the club managerial continuity as it prepares to defend the 2025 Triple-A National Championship after an 89-61 regular season and postseason run that produced Jacksonville’s first International League title since 1968 and a franchise-first Triple-A National Championship. Jacksonvillesportsday reports Carpenter will lead a 2026 field staff that retains several holdovers while adding a slate of new coaches.

The Jumbo Shrimp first announced Carpenter’s arrival and the 2025 on-field staff in a MiLB press release dated Feb. 11, 2025, described “In conjunction with the Miami Marlins” and listed Jorge Hernandez as bench coach, Rob Marcello as pitching coach, Mike Marjama as hitting coach, Jose Ceballos as the lone returner and defensive coach, Tyler Lough as athletic trainer and Dan Donohue as strength and conditioning coach. The club’s Feb. 11, 2025 Facebook post listing that staff recorded 49 reactions, two comments and eight shares.

Jacksonvillesportsday’s 2026 staffing report identifies a mix of continuity and change as Jacksonville defends its crown. Returners include Jose Ceballos in an assistant coach role, athletic trainers Tyler Lough and Sandy Krum, video coach Ryan Gaynor and clubhouse concierge Paul Whatley. New additions listed for 2026 are Jerad Eickhoff as pitching coach, Tom DeAngelis as hitting coach, Luke Terwilliger as assistant coach, Jordan Reyes as strength coach and Jackson Shelton as PD analyst/fellow.

Carpenter’s rapid rise from first-year minor league manager to defending champion is rooted in a varied resume. Times‑Union reported Carpenter is a 39-year-old native of Morgantown, W.Va., who managed the West Virginia Black Bears in the MLB Draft League to an 81-66 record and served as pitching coach at Fairmont State University before joining Jacksonville. Times‑Union also summarized his MLB playing career: he compiled an 11-11 record with a 3.69 ERA and four saves in 222 Major League Baseball games over six seasons between 2011 and 2019, appearing for the Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals and Texas Rangers. A First Coast News YouTube segment posted July 2, 2025 noted 13 players had been called up from Jacksonville by midseason and carried a partial on-camera Carpenter remark: “I want to be a manager that I would want to play for and that's what I try to do for these guys every single day. Try to do it for the staff. I want to be, you know, a leader to them. Uh somebody that they're willing to follow and just try to continue to do that and push the organizational message... We get to share that moment with them, share it with their family.” The YouTube clip showed 246 views and two likes in its snippet.

Jose Ceballos’ tenure illustrates the continuity the Marlins system is preserving. MiLB’s Feb. 11, 2025 release said Ceballos “comes back to Jacksonville for his eighth season as either a player or coach.” Jacksonvillesportsday’s 2026 coverage counts him as returning for a ninth season in Jacksonville and calls 2026 his 14th campaign in the Marlins’ system, noting a playing span from 2007–2013 including a one-game Double-A Jacksonville appearance in 2012 and coaching assignments with Greensboro and Jupiter starting in 2014.

The organizational backdrop remains the Marlins affiliation, VyStar Ballpark as home and the club’s stated mission of “Affordable, Family, FUN.” Jacksonville’s 89 victories in 2025 were the most for a Jacksonville club since 1964 and tied for the fourth-most wins in the city’s minor league history dating to 1904. After besting Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the International League Championship Series, Jacksonville defeated Las Vegas to claim the Triple-A National Championship, and the club now heads into the next season with Carpenter at the helm and a blended staff of proven holdovers and new hires.