The 2019 season was the year the Padres were supposed to materialize their immense potential into tangible results on the field, and manager Andy Green was supposed to be the guy that led that charge.
Instead, 2019 was the year that the Padres abruptly pulled the plug on the Green administration after the team limped to the end of yet another lost season, only two years after they had extended his contract.
2019 was supposed to be different- and there were times when it was: the Padres were .500 at the All Star break for the first time in seemingly forever. However, they’ve been abysmal since then, sporting a 25-47 record since then.
Certainly, the onus for the Padres second half collapse does not fall squarely on Andy Green- but it appears that Barry Bloom of Forbes was (as much as I’m loathe to admit it) correct: Green had lost the respect of his players.
I mean- look at Wil Myers in this video; he can barely hide the smirk on his face when he recounts his reaction to finding out Green was canned:
So that said, who will be the next manager of the Padres? There seems to be universal consensus that the Padres managerial opening will be the most sought-after job this offseason, so I have no doubt that the Padres could realistically reach an agreement with the following names if they wanted to. The Padres seem to prefer an experienced manager- but there are some interesting names without prior managerial experience that the team will certainly consider as well. Some of my picks are below.
Experienced Managers
Joe Maddon
If the Padres are looking for a manager that specializes in ending championship droughts, Joe Maddon is the most qualified man for the job: in 2016, he led the Cubs to their first World Series championship in 108 years. And he’s officially on the open market now: the Cubs announced Sunday that he would not return to the team for next season. He’s probably the name I’ve heard thrown around the most by fans, and with good reason: Maddon is renowned for turning young, inexperienced teams into playoff contenders.
However, his tenure with the Cubs ended with a dud- the Maddon-era Cubs were widely expected to be the MLB’s next multi-championship dynasty, but instead, they’ve had to settle for merely being very good. Maddon has also been criticized for how he manages his bullpen, and the Padres saw Maddon’s questionable decision making first hand: earlier this month, he left pitcher Steve Cishek in a tied, extra inning game after the pitcher had just walked two consecutive Padres batters to load the bases. Cishek proceeded to walk Manny Margot as well, and the Padres won the game via a walk-off walk. Lord knows that the last thing this Padres team needs is a manager who will exacerbate the bullpen’s well-documented struggles we’ve seen this year.
Bruce Bochy
Although Giants manager Bruce Bochy is supposedly retiring, many have speculated (including Bochy himself) that he still wants to coach- it’s my personal theory that the newly installed Giants regime encouraged Bochy to “retire” as way to avoid firing perhaps the most successful manager in franchise history given the team's downturn in performance in recent years. Retiring or not, Bochy is officially on the Padres interview list, and Bochy didn’t say no when asked about the job. At the very least, Bochy returning to the Padres and leading them to a World Series championship would be the perfect end to an already hall-of-fame caliber career.
As we all know, prior to winning three championships in San Francisco, Bochy was the Padres’ longest tenured and all-time winningest manager. I’d even venture to say that Bochy is probably the most important on-field figure in Padres history not named Tony Gwynn or Trevor Hoffman- he has literally been involved in EVERY playoff appearance in Padres history. It also helps that Bochy is pretty much universally admired in baseball and there’s no doubt that he would command respect in the clubhouse. I do wonder if Bochy is a bit too old school for today’s game, which in part, lead to his initial departure from the Padres in 2007. Nevertheless, Bochy would probably be my pick if it were up to me.
Ron Washington
The Braves third base coach, Ron Washington has a history working with Padres GM AJ Preller when the two were in Texas. Washington’s tenure with the Rangers was by and large very successful- under Wash, the team made consecutive World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011- and in the latter, the team came within one strike of a championship. While that’s way closer than the Padres have ever gotten to a championship, maybe that’s not the kind of energy the Padres need right now? Just my two cents.
Rookie Managers
Rod Barajas
Previously the Padres bench coach before being promoted to interim manager, Barajas seems like a smart, well spoken guy and has already has good rapport with the clubhouse. However, the team was pretty dismal in the few games Barajas managed- in fact, they won exactly once during the 8 game stretch in which he was at the helm.
Philip Wellman
Does that name sound familiar? If so, it’s probably because you remember the outrageously over-the-top tirade Wellman went on during a 2007 argument with an umpire while Wellman was the manager of the Double A Mississippi Braves:
Ever wonder what happens to the stars of 10+ year old viral videos after their 15 minutes of fame end? For Wellman, he ended up as the the manager for the Amarillo Sod Poodles, the Padres Double A affiliate- a team that he just led to a minor league championship.
He’s actually an eminently reasonable choice; Wellman has been managing in the Padres minor league system since 2016 and has played a role in the development of virtually all of the team’s top prospects. He also seems to have the kind of personality that the team has sought out for in prior managerial searches- heading into the 2016 season, the Padres hired Green in part because of his fiery temperament, and Wellman has a temper that makes Andy look like Mr. Rogers by comparison. At the very least, Wellman’s arguments with umpires would provide the most entertainment value of candidate on this list.
Morgan Ensberg
Former Padre and San Diego resident Morgan Ensberg is a name that hasn’t been thrown around all that much, but he’s a highly intriguing candidate. Since 2013, he’s been involved in coaching and player development for Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays- the two most analytically progressive (and successful) organizations in baseball.
These teams are very intentional about choosing coaches who are fully versed the analytics of today’s game and able to effectively communicate these ideas to players in a way that facilitates their buy-in. Currently the manager of the Ray’s Double A affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits (what an amazing team name lmao), Ensberg led the team to the playoffs in his first season. He also led the Astros Single A affiliate to a league championship last season as well.
Ensberg also seems like just a quality guy all around. Case-in-point: when one of Ensberg’s players, pitcher Blake Bivens, found out that his wife and child were were murdered, Ensberg took a leave of absence from the team to travel with Bivens as the pitcher returned home.
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