The Padres employed Mike Shildt to be the twenty third supervisor in franchise historical past on Tuesday, finalizing a two-year contract with the 55-year-old, who spent the previous two seasons as a senior advisor with the membership.
They may introduce Shildt in a press convention on Tuesday afternoon at Petco Park.
In his first stint as massive league supervisor, Shildt managed the Cardinals from 2018-21 after spending greater than a decade as a coach within the St. Louis system. He earned the 2019 NL Supervisor of the Yr Award and reached the playoffs in every of his three full seasons, whereas receiving Supervisor of the Yr votes in all 4, together with his interim marketing campaign.
“Mike is a confirmed winner as a supervisor on the Main League stage, and he brings over 20 years of expertise in skilled baseball to the place,” Padres common supervisor A.J. Preller stated in a press release. “In his time right here, Mike has displayed a powerful baseball mind, a ardour for educating the sport, and has established relationships with gamers and employees at each the Minor and Main League ranges. We consider that Mike is the proper particular person to guide the Padres ahead in our continued pursuit of a World Sequence championship.”
Shildt’s hiring comes lower than a month after former San Diego supervisor Bob Melvin accepted the managerial job in San Francisco, after the Padres permitted him to interview with the Giants.
That began a four-week course of wherein the Padres interviewed a number of candidates, together with offensive coordinator/bench coach Ryan Flaherty, Angels infield coach Benji Gil and former Angels supervisor Phil Nevin. Shildt and Flaherty had been the perceived favorites for the job, and it stays unclear whether or not Flaherty will stay with the group on Shildt’s employees.
Shildt is tasked with managing a Padres group trying to rebound after a disappointing 2023 season. Regardless of World Sequence ambitions, San Diego completed 82-80 and missed the postseason.
The offseason will undoubtedly deliver some reshuffling. However the bulk of the Padres’ core is predicted to stay intact, significantly on offense. Shildt, having spent the previous two seasons with the membership, is already conversant in that core.
That seemingly appealed to Preller within the hiring course of. Shildt would be the first of Preller’s 5 full-time managers who he’d beforehand labored with on the massive league stage.
“We undoubtedly take into consideration that,” Preller stated final week. “… Those that know our gamers, know our state of affairs, know our group — that is a bonus, for certain.”
The hiring course of was placed on pause final week whereas the group mourned the passing of chairman Peter Seidler, who died final Tuesday of undisclosed causes. Proprietor Eric Kutsenda was appointed chairman and interim management particular person on Friday.
It stays unclear which coaches will return to Shildt’s employees, although Preller just lately confirmed that Ruben Niebla, underneath contract for the 2024 season, would return as pitching coach.
