Padres Editorial: It’s Way Too Early to Judge Pat Murphy
The San Diego Padres made a change at the helm during a year in which expectations were extremely high. The makeover to the roster General Manager A.J. Preller consummated was truly magical. The mostly dormant franchise was awaken with excitement and many people predicted a Padres playoff appearance. The fan base has been rejuvenated, but the play of the team has been unbearable to watch at times this season. A playoff appearance seems like an uphill battle to this point.
With the inconsistency constantly showing itself, the organization decided to make a change. Manager Bud Black was in the last year of his contract. He had been the manager for the past eight and a half years, but ultimately the teams lack of performance cost him his job. The difficulties the Padres have shown on the field have yet to cease with Pat Murphy as their skipper. In the first week of the season the team has taken an even further step back, falling five games under the .500 mark at one point.
The recent bad play of the team is beginning to fall on the shoulders of new manager Pat Murphy. A recent mighty 1090 piece suggests “Is Pat Murphy a Major League Bust?”. That particular piece seems to be coming at a very strange time. Yes the Padres have not performed well under the new skipper, but perhaps we should give the man some time to do his job. To label him a bust after 10 plus games seems really unjustified.
The Padres team is flawed and no easy fix is imminent, at least it’s not visible to this point. Ultimately the team needs to take accountability for their actions and perform at a higher level. The Padres 25 man roster is full of flaws, but yet the team does have the players to succeed. Flaws can be dealt with if you play to your strengths. They are totally under achieving as a whole cohesive group so far. The pitching staff which was supposed to be a great strength has yet to find its groove. The hitters have certainly missed Wil Myers bat in the lineup. The team looks completely different without Myers in the lineup. They miss his enthusiasm and youth.
Still with Myers being out, opportunity has come for Melvin Upton Jr. and Will Venable to step up and perform. Venable has done well, but Upton Jr seems a little rusty at the plate (to say it nicely). Padres management surely hopes he can find a groove with the bat. Melvin Upton Jr. is due $31.9 million for the 2016 and 2017 season. That is a lot of money for a player who has struggled to hit over .200 for the last three years. His contract is such a burden that the Padres will likely never find a trade partner for him.
Former Padres manager Bud Black was extremely liked by the local media, I get that. The National Media has also shown Black great love in their scrutiny of the Padres decision to relieve him of his managerial duties. The outcry against the Padres for Blacks dismissal was probably to be expected. The timing of the firing was indeed strange as the team had been playing better baseball. Its was quite obvious Bud Black was not going to manage the team beyond the 2015 season. The fact he did not have a contract after this season, was writing on the wall for his future in San Diego.
The only consistency the team has shown all year, is the fact they are playing the same with or without Bud Black. To say the team would be playing better with Black at the helm now opposed to Murphy is ludicrous. The two skippers appear to have a different philosophy while managing and it will take time for the team to get used to Murphy’s style. Time is unfortunately not on the Padres side however as the team cannot fall too far back in the playoff race. To write off Murphy as a bust this early is wrong. How about the media and fans give him a chance to right the ship? He has a lot of baseball experience and though it’s not in the traditional sense, he still deserves all of our respect.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.