The San Diego Padres have a lot of issues that need addressing, and the best person to help is someone who has been around.
Mike Schildt reportedly signed a two-year deal with the Padres, marking his official return to manage in the big leagues, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Tribune reported. The 2019 NL Manager of the Year returns after a two-year hiatus.
The Padres have chosen a manager.
— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) November 21, 2023
Mike Shildt.
Story coming.
In 2021, Schildt was dismissed due to philosophical differences with the St. Louis Cardinals, according to President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak per MLB.com. It was a shocking turn of events at the time, considering Shildt was expected to land a contract extension with the Cards.
Read more: Braves: 3 Player Alternatives for Atlanta After Aaron Nola Chase Fizzles
Shildt guided the Cardinals to 17 straight wins, something that helped them get back to postseason contention.
Now he gets a chance to weave his magic with the Padres, who have a lot of internal issues to cover, the Associated Press reported. Here are some of the things that Shildt is facing.
Addressing the clubhouse leadership problem
At the top of the list for Shildt is the alleged lack of clubhouse leadership that led to the Padres being an allegedly dysfunctional organization.
"Mike is a proven winner as a manager at the Major League level, and he brings over two decades of experience in professional baseball to the position," Padres general manager A.J. Preller said in a statement via CBS Sports.
Although now-former manager Bob Melvin and general manager A.J. Preller said they would work together for another year, the landscape changed when Melvin got hired by the San Francisco Giants.
However, Shildt and Preller have mutual respect for each other. This is a good start and something that could benefit San Diego.
Prove constant changing of managers is bad for the Padres
This may be the easiest task for Shildt and something that can convince Padres management that constantly changing managers will never lead to success. He needs to map out a good game plan not just for games but also for establishing character for the team and its players.
"I think it's really important right now that there's alignment, which there is, with what we're doing and how we're doing it. The functional teams win, and I'm looking forward to stability and collaboration with what we're doing with the front office, with our club all the way vertically down the organization," Shildt stated.
Define team roles and direction
One problem singled out in the Padres' last run was despite the massive talent, there was a glaring chemistry problem. Melvin's job was to address that, but it was never done.
Shildt is likely aware of this and starts by talking to the team and its star players. He will deal with egos, which will not be easy to do.
Shildt owns a 252-199 record as a manager in his career. He averaged roughly 91 wins per 162 games, and the Padres hope he can bring that success to San Diego.
Even with his good track record, Shildt will be in for an interesting tenure with the Padres. He has two years to prove that, possibly more if he can turn things around fast.
Related Article: Shohei Ohtani AL MVP Award: Where Does It Rank Among Past Winners?
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
