Before building a culture, Marlins chief executive officer Derek Jeter had to create a winning mindset.

It was a daunting challenge when you consider the overall perception of the Marlins. The organization hadn’t had a winning season since 2009 and last went to the postseason in '03.

As Jeter went about building the organization from the farm system on up, he repeatedly was asked about changing the culture.

“Does the culture come first and then the winning?” Jeter said. “Or does winning come first and then the culture? In my mind, everyone has to have a winning mindset.”

Jeter has repeatedly preached that every day the Marlins take the field, they have a chance to win. It’s a message that has filtered down from the front office.

“That’s the mindset and the culture that we have, and it’s going to be a culture of competition,” Jeter said. “We’ve had our guys, from when we drafted them, and developed them from Rookie ball, on up. They’re out there and they’re competing, and they are going out there with an expectation level that they’re going to win.

“That’s the mindset that’s going throughout our organization, and you’re seeing it at the Major League level right now.”

In Year 3 of their building process, the Marlins -- in the eyes of many -- have exceeded expectations.

Miami (31-29) finished second in the National League East, which automatically qualified the club for the playoffs. The Marlins are the No. 6 seed in the NL Wild Card Series, which opens on Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET against the third-seeded Cubs at Wrigley Field.

“The guys who were here before we took over the organization, they bought in,” Jeter said on a Zoom call on Monday. “They believe in it. The veterans that we’ve brought in, they’re coming with energy. And they believe in it.”

• Marlins-Cubs Wild Card Series FAQ

Jeter covered a wide range of topics on a day the Marlins participated in a light workout at Wrigley Field.

Here were some of the highlights:

• On manager Don Mattingly’s influence on a team that overcame 18 players testing positive for COVID-19, and had significant roster turnover (61 different players were used), to finish 31-29:

“Donnie is someone I’ve known since I was 18 years old, and I had an opportunity to play with him just briefly,” Jeter said. “Donnie gives that calming presence in the dugout and in the clubhouse.

“He doesn’t overreact. He has the perfect temperament for what we’ve been building here. Donnie is a big reason for us to be in the position we are [in] right now.”

• The Marlins have announced their instructional league roster and schedule. Without a Minor League season, Miami will have 45 Minor Leaguers attend its instructional league, which runs through Oct. 31 at the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex in Jupiter, Fla.

Jeter noted that without a Minor League season, this will be highly beneficial for prospects who were not part of the 60-man player pool.

Among the prospects in Jupiter are outfielders JJ Bleday, Jerar Encarnacion, Connor Scott, pitchers Max Meyer and Dax Fulton and catcher Will Banfield.

“We take a great deal of pride in our player-development system,” Jeter said. “We have a lot of players we consider being top-of-the-line prospects. For us to have the ability to have the instructional league, [it gives] our players [an] opportunity.”

• The Marlins continue to try to earn the trust of the South Florida fan base, which has endured years of losing and roster turnover.

Without fans in the stands this season, it’s hard to say exactly how the market has embraced this youthful squad.

“When we got here, I said, ‘I’m going to listen to you,’” Jeter said. “I can’t expect you to trust me. We have to earn your trust.”

Slowly but surely, Jeter feels the market is warming up to the Marlins.

“We get a lot more inbound calls than we used to,” Jeter said. “That’s a good sign. It is hard to judge, because there are no fans in the ballpark. But I would like to think that the way our team performed this year, that we would have had more fans at the ballpark.”

• The Miami Heat are in the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Jeter started off his call publicly congratulating the Heat in their efforts to win another NBA title.

“It’s an exciting team to watch, and obviously, we’re all pulling for them,” Jeter said.