When the San Diego Padres hired Steven Souza Jr. as their hitting coach in November 2025, the decision drew plenty of skepticism.

Souza had never coached at the major league level. His playing career included a .229 batting average, 72 home runs, and 207 RBIs over eight seasons, with his best season coming in 2017 when he hit 30 home runs for the Tampa Bay Rays.

He was also taking over an offense that had struggled considerably the previous season.

Ten months into his tenure, however, the Padres’ offense has shown signs of improvement. With San Diego sitting at 73-65 and in the middle of the National League Wild Card race entering September, Souza’s first season deserves another look.

A Questionable Hire on Paper

The concerns surrounding Souza’s hiring were understandable.

He played in 505 major league games but had no previous coaching experience. After his playing career ended, Souza spent two years as a special assistant in the Rays’ front office before joining manager Craig Stammen’s staff.

The connection between the two also raised questions. Souza and Stammen were teammates with the Washington Nationals, and Stammen was making one of his first major coaching hires.

At the time, there was little evidence to suggest how Souza would perform as a hitting coach.

The Padres’ offensive struggles early in the season only added to those concerns.

A Difficult Start

San Diego entered the season with an offense built around Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill, but the production did not immediately match the expectations.

By June, the Padres were hitting .225 as a team, the lowest mark in Major League Baseball. Machado’s batting average dropped to .166 on June 8, while Tatis did not hit his first home run of the season until May 30.

Manager Craig Stammen continued to defend Souza throughout the team’s struggles, pointing to his ability to communicate with players and build confidence.

The players also publicly supported their hitting coach.

Still, the results made it difficult to determine whether Souza’s approach was working.

The Offense Begins to Turn Around

The Padres’ offensive numbers have improved as the season has progressed.

Machado now leads the team with 24 home runs and 74 RBIs. Tatis has 17 home runs and 67 RBIs while hitting .282. The Padres’ team batting average has climbed to .239, moving them from last in MLB to 22nd.

Those numbers do not make San Diego one of the league’s elite offenses, but they represent a significant improvement from where the team stood earlier in the season.

The timing is also important. The Padres are entering September in the middle of a postseason race, making continued offensive production critical to their chances of reaching the playoffs.

Souza’s Approach

Souza’s coaching philosophy is influenced by his time with the Rays and his experience playing in Los Angeles under hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc.

His approach emphasizes zone discipline and pitch selection. Rather than encouraging hitters to attack every pitch, Souza has focused on helping them identify pitches they can handle and avoid expanding the strike zone.

Implementing that philosophy with established major league hitters was always going to take time.

The Padres also faced an unusual challenge during spring training. The World Baseball Classic limited the amount of time Souza had to work with some of the team’s most important players before the regular season.

For a first-year coach, those early weeks can be particularly important when establishing relationships and introducing a new offensive philosophy.

The Results Matter

It would be difficult to credit Souza alone for the Padres’ offensive improvement.

Hitting is influenced by numerous factors, including player health, opposing pitching, individual adjustment,s and natural fluctuations over the course of a 162-game season.

At the same time, the improvement has been significant enough to change the conversation surrounding Souza.

Machado has returned to producing at a high level. Tatis has become one of the team’s most productive hitters after his slow start. The team as a whole has moved significantly higher in the league’s batting-average rankings.

The Padres’ offense still has room to improve, but it is no longer producing at the level that made Souza’s hiring such an easy target earlier in the season.

A Different Evaluation

Souza is still a first-year hitting coach learning on the job. One improved stretch does not establish whether he will become a successful coach over the long term.

However, the early-season results no longer tell the entire story.

The Padres hired Souza because of his experience with organizations known for their approach to hitting development, along with his understanding of the modern game and ability to communicate with players.

Those qualities were difficult to evaluate when the team was struggling in April and May.

Now, with the offense producing better results and the Padres competing for a playoff spot, there is more evidence to consider.

The criticism of Souza’s hiring was understandable based on the information available at the time. But the results of his first season suggest the Padres may have been right to give him the opportunity.

Whether Souza ultimately proves to be the long-term answer at hitting coach remains to be seen.

For now, however, his first season has given him a much stronger case than he had when he arrived in San Diego.

Nolan Wise

San Diego born and raised. Keeping the Faith since ’98. Try to keep the faith until the numbers tell me otherwise.