Padres News: Pat Murphy Out as Padres Manager
Following the end of the most disappointing season in recent San Diego Padres history on Sunday, the Padres announced that Pat Murphy would not be coming back as the manager in 2016.
This comes as no surprise to many, as the Padres had not really improved much with the firing of Bud Black, and perhaps only got worse. This marks the second manager let go this season, after Bud Black held the job for almost ten years prior to his firing in June.
Following a sluggish start to the 2015 season, general manager A.J. Preller decided the best course of action was letting go of long time manager Bud Black in hopes of getting the team to play better. As his replacement, Preller promoted Triple A manager Pat Murphy to be the interim manager for the remainder of the 2015 season. There was no guarantees beyond 2015, and Murphy being let go comes as no shock.
What remains uncertain going forward is whether Pat Murphy will remain within the organization in a different capacity, perhaps even returning to Triple A, or if Murphy will be allowed to seek employment outside of the organization.
It seems like almost a foregone conclusion that if Murphy does leave the Padres organization, and all signs point to that being the case following the 2015 disaster, Murphy will most likely end up as a part of Craig Counsell’s coaching staff in Milwaukee given their long history.
For the Padres, the options for 2016 are seemingly endless. It seems apparent that both A.J. Preller and the owners will want to try again at making the Padres winners next season. This all starts with hiring the perfect manager for the job.
Given the failings of nice guy Bud Black, and the similar lack of fire from Murphy, it seems likely that the Padres best bet is hiring someone who is a lot less nice and who demands more out of the players.
The Padres have gotten complacent over the last ten years and seem to be sinking in a culture of losing and being okay with it. Whether it is a new manager or one with more experience, the Padres need to find the perfect guy to lead this team out of the stench of losing. Whether that can be done, however, remains to be seen.
Editorial and Prospect Writer for East Village Times. Twenty-five years young, Patrick has lived in San Diego for his entire life and has been a Padres fan nearly as long. Patrick lives for baseball and is always looking to learn new things about the game he loves through advanced stats.
