The Padres haven\u2019t found their Dave Roberts.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ll give it another try, and good luck to them.<\/p>\n
Monday\u2019s surprise from Mike Shildt that he\u2019s retiring after two seasons due to stress-driven health issues<\/a> means Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller must now search for his sixth manager in 11 years.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a plum job. But would-be applicants need to be convinced that at the Padres\u2019 managerial office, there\u2019s not a turnstile in place of a door.<\/p>\n Preller understands this. In a media call Tuesday, he was quick to note that plenty of prominent Padres employees have worked many years in their current jobs.<\/p>\n He said he desires a lengthy run from Shildt\u2019s replacement, someone who can ride the tiger for a decade.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of value in that,\u201d he added.\u00a0\u201cSo, I understand that, I understand the value that comes with that. That\u2019s the goal here, when we make this next hire, to have somebody that\u2019s here for the long haul, like a lot of people in the organization.\u201d<\/p>\n Heading the search will be an 11th-year Padres general manager in Preller, a rookie chairman in John Seidler and a fifth-year Padres CEO in Erik Greupner.<\/p>\n Padres star Manny Machado, who\u2019s under contract through 2033, figures to be kept in the loop.<\/p>\n Managers today don\u2019t have nearly the clout they had when grouchy Dick Williams was leading the Padres to the 1984 World Series and sipping scotch in his office after games.<\/p>\n Front offices and well-paid ballplayers have reduced much of the power managers had long ago, meaning it\u2019s rare for a field boss to keep his job for five years \u2014 much less 10.<\/p>\n \u2018A really attractive job\u2019: A.J. Preller already receiving calls about Padres\u2019 vacant managerial position<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The Padres are no different.\u00a0Pat Murphy lasted only half a season after Preller, 10 months into his own run, named the former college coach the interim replacement to Bud Black in June 2015.<\/p>\n Andy Green, a longtime Diamondbacks employee, replaced Murphy and presided over four Padres seasons.<\/p>\n Two seasons apiece were it for Jayce Tingler, a former Preller colleague with the Texas Rangers whose calling card was player development; Bob Melvin, a former big-league catcher and longtime manager said to have impressed late Padres chairman Peter Seidler; and Shildt, a former St. Louis Cardinals manager who worked two years under Preller with the Padres as an adviser.<\/p>\n Roberts, hired by the Dodgers in November 2015, is an industry outlier.<\/p>\n The former Padres center fielder, bench coach and front office assistant wanted the job that went to Green but wasn\u2019t interviewed for it. Less than a month after the Padres hired Green, the Dodgers hired Roberts. He is now wrapping up his 10th season in L.A.<\/p>\n Roberts, 53, still has his much-coveted job foremost because his gazillion-dollar Dodgers teams win often. Given the same Padres rosters Green had, I doubt Roberts would\u2019ve garnered more than an additional five wins per year. Managers aren\u2019t magicians.<\/p>\n An outgoing and curious Rancho Buena Vista High School and UCLA alum, Roberts seems to feed off chatting with a wide variety of people. He isn\u2019t touchy about discussing baseball tactics before or after games with outsiders. He displayed a fiery streak as a player, and that surfaced as a manager when he shoved Green and Shildt in separate on-field spats. He was dogged enough to play seven years in the minors, then a decade in the big leagues. He\u2019s a longtime husband and father.<\/p>\n Managers must cope with an adrenaline-filled job to which they\u2019re beholden for 162 games. If they make it to October baseball, the stress gets cranked up several levels. Recurring adrenaline rushes can weaken immune systems.<\/p>\n Managers must ride the tiger, always.<\/p>\n\n
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