It is no secret that Craig Stammen has suffered through a rough first season as San Diego Padres manager. Yes, some of the obstacles associated with the job were expected.
However, transitioning from the front office to the dugout without any minor or major league managerial experience has been an insurmountable leap. The hiring felt like a cost-saving move for the organization. The experiment with a novice field boss needs to end; the Padres have no other choice but to let Stammen go.
More head-scratching decisions
Entering the first game of the second half against the Kansas City Royals, the Friars had 48 wins on the season, nine more than their opponents.
But the Royals showed more passion after giving up three runs in the top of the 10th inning. In a nightmarish half-inning, the Royals went on to score four runs off Kyle Hart for an improbable victory.
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Why was your long man closing out the first game of the second half? The Padres were desperate to get back into the wild-card chase. In hindsight, the move made no sense. Stammen had set up relievers who were more familiar with closing out games if he did not want to use Mason Miller for two innings. Another wasted opportunity to gain ground on the leaderboard.
Padres lack energy and urgency
Baseball is an energy sport. Sometimes, a manager’s poor in-game decisions can sap all the energy from a team. No sense of urgency has plagued the Padres all season. Yes, you need talent to win, but if energy is missing in the clubhouse, then it will be tough to rally the team from a crushing defeat.
No question, team morale is low. Granted, the Friars exploded for 19 runs to salvage the final game of a weekend set against a team well below the .500 mark and sitting 13 games back in the AL Central. Stammen can be happy with Sunday’s results, but he cannot continue sabotaging his team’s momentum with baffling moves.
Stammen is a company man
Another troubling aspect is Stammen’s relationship with the media. He resorts to the “company line” when responding to questions. At times, Stammen robotically recites the front office’s talking points when discussing what took place in the game. Usually, he offers very little information for the fans to digest.
Stammen rarely shares his feelings on what plagues the 2026 Padres. However, he needs to stop trying to convince the Friar Faithful that the lineup is not broken. Stammen’s coaching staff has failed to solve the puzzle of a stagnant offense, as the pieces lie everywhere.
Currently, the Padres are ranked 29th in the majors, scoring 3.97 runs per game. The lineup has underperformed, but the talent gap is not that far from other major league clubs.
Stammen cannot be blamed for all of the team’s struggles. He handled the implosion of the starting rotation as well as anyone could have expected. The lack of consistent pitching from the replacement starters has dragged the Friars into oblivion.
A stagnant offense and inconsistent starting pitching have made for a long summer. Unfortunately, the Friars are riding out the remainder of the season to its miserable end.
A managerial change is needed, just to put everyone in a better frame of mind.
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