At long last, John Pierson has his first job in the major leagues, although he probably would rather it be under different circumstances. Still, he will take it.

After Miami Marlins hitting coach Tino Martinez resigned over allegations of player abuse, the Marlins named Pierson as an interim replacement.

Pierson, 59, is a graduate of Washington High in Phoenix and played second base for coach Herb Boetto at Glendale Community College before going on to play as an infielder in the Kansas City Royals’ system. He also was on the coaching staffs at Arizona State and Grand Canyon University.

He has been a talent evaluator and minor-league infield defense instructor for several major-league organizations, including the Marlins for the last 10 seasons.

I covered that GCC team then for the student newspaper and remember Pierson as a nose-to-the-grindstone type of guy who always gave the utmost effort. So it is not surprising that he has lasted this long in baseball.

Here’s hoping that Pierson can help the Marlins improve so that the interim tag eventually can be removed, or that he can land a similar position with another big-league club. If anyone deserves a chance, he does.