Is the Criticism of Andy Green Justified?
Credit: USA Today Sports
The San Diego Padres are a young team, but there are high expectations for the squad in 2019. With that, manager Andy Green has taken on some criticism of late. Is this justified or just frustration from the fan base?
As a major league manager, when you are handed a talented team to guide into the promised land- expectations are high.
For Andy Green, the manager of the San Diego Padres, he has never had the pleasure of running a team like the 2019 squad. The addition of Manny Machado put the Padres over the competitive edge in the National League. Machado, as well as Eric Hosmer, who was signed in the winter of 2018, bring a winning attitude to San Diego. There is now a feeling in the locker room that the team should win every game. They expect to win. With this mentality, there is some pressure that is starting to fall on the young manager.
2019 is a big year for the Padres and their skipper. We should see growth in this squad. Throughout this season, young players should emerge, and rookies should continue to develop. Not all players will improve though, and that should not be on the shoulders of Green. The law of averages dictates that even the highest rated prospect can fizzle out in time. The game of baseball is hard to play. Especially if you factor in the mental side of the game.
The Padres started 11-5, and immediately the expectations from the fan base were that this was a playoff team destined for greatness. Naturally, the fan base did overreact in the start of the season, but there is a lot of excitement for who the Padres could eventually be. After a six-game losing streak, reality set in for the youthful bunch and the pitchforks came out from the fans.
Fire Andy Green talk is currently happening. From the radio stations to the blogs, fans are calling out their manager. That is to be expected and entirely natural for a team that is looking to compete, but maybe 20 games into a 162 game season is a tad bit too early to criticize? The manager, like his team, is young and developing his style of play. He has a new lineup to tinker with and has done well to keep all the outfielders happy with ample playing time. You can argue about the second base position and the catching issue, but there is no easy answer when it comes to playing time. Good teams have this issue the Padres are currently dealing with. It is part of that winning process.
Humility is very much a thing in the game of baseball. Just as you think you figure it all out, the game will humble you. After a hot start in early April, the Padres got a taste of that with their play over the last week. That was to be expected. The club had to know that a bad stretch was coming. It is just part of the game. What can’t be recognized on a stat sheet or ESPN is how a manager prepares his team for the grind. How he prepares them for failure which is inevitable. Especially in a young team, this is difficult. As quickly as the team got “high” with their early play, it is important to recognize the “lows” of the game too.
Can this Padres team stay even-keeled over the next few months and position themselves for a playoff run? Once they get into that position and every game starts to count, then a critique of Green and his managerial style will be justified. Only then, can you truly “judge” his abilities when everything is on the line. At this point later in the year, he should have an idea of a daily lineup as starters will emerge. This current Padres team can get into position to compete in August and September. Whether or not they do is another thing.
Andy Green does not deserve a free pass. He will need to prove his worth over time. The manager has yet to do that, but Padre teams of the past were structured horribly and in all reality, had no chance to compete. This year is different. Fans do not expect miracles (or they shouldn’t), but they will expect for this young team to overcome growing pains and establish themselves in the NL West.
It is late April and far too early to discuss replacing a philosophy that has been in action for over three years. Another essential piece of information is that Andy Green was hand-picked by A.J. Preller for the job. Green represents what Preller envisions for the future. In a way, A.J. Preller is very much influential in the everyday lineup and what Andy Green has to work with. The life of a major league manager is tough. No matter what, you will always be criticized for your actions. Andy Green has learned this lesson and in time aims to prove that he is the right man for the job.
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.
When hosmer gets a one hopper he turns his head and shuts his eyes, like hes scared of the ball. Seen it many times on replay. Meyers is exactly what he is, part time hurt AAAA player. K’s galore. So austins the bomb at defense, you know a bomb is not a good thing. And why is it ok for a guy to not hit? Again, k’s galore. He’s had over 1100 at bats and still under 200 average, that’s sad. Padres traditionally spend 5 years on a favorite only to end up with nada. The old man at 2nd, a joke. Been following padres since little westgate, remember the bull, al ferrera. Think of it this way, howmany current padres would be pursued by other teams. 3 -4 tops. Na, 2-3
I don’t think Andy Green will ever be an elite manager. Tonight for instance. He fails to give the #8 hitter a free pass and it costs the Padres 2 runs. Take your chances with the guy hitting .000, not the guy hitting .217. It’s not rocket science.
I heard many years ago when a team loses a game by one run it is the manager’s fault. The Padres have lost many games over the past few years by one run. Also it is quite common to see the Padres pitchers not ready to start the game and giving many runs up in the first inning. Also it is not unusual to watch a pitcher being left in too long such as the April 28th game where the picture should have been removed when it was obvious that he didn’t have it for that day. These are all managing decisions that could be tremendously improved upon. Also there is not enough instances where a player on first base when no else out not being bunt over to second. Too many instances when Runners left on base with no outs and not being able to be scored. As one of the best managers stated at one time, 96% of any organizations problems is management.
Also Myers has a light sensitivity problem called scotopic sensitivity causing him to mishit many balls and strike out. He needs corrective tints to solve problem, not just regular sunglasses.
The comments by “LarryLarry” make so much sense, they have to be the truth! Andy Green’s hands are tied and he is being told who to play and where. And yes, he does have the security of a contract extension he signed. I doubt I will ever be a fan of AJ Preller’s but I’m sure he doesn’t care. Has Preller made some good trades? Well, he traded for Tatis and Paddock so he gets gold stars there. However I still don’t believe he has the trust of other GM’s in the game. Do you? The team still has too many outfielders and when Jankowski comes off the DL, it will get worse. Can Preller successfully move any of the OF’s? Back in the spring, we expected a move or two but nothing happened or as we heard, Preller’s asking price was too high. Later on, I know who I’d try and trade but Preller won’t do what I want him to do….
Fans are usually the last to understand managing. Most think every player is available all the time, nobody has the flu or minor injury that calls for a day off, and most importantly, that the manager has total control of the ballclub.
Th truth is that players can’t play their best with nagging injuries, pitchers need recovery time, and AJ Preller and his team have as much to say about who plays and what moves can be made as Andy. That was part of the hand-picking part – Andy agreed to heed the sabremetrics people as well as Preller’s wish to see, for instance, how Myers would look in center field, and how at bats could be split between Reyes and Renfroe, how long to keep the young starters in the game, etc.
Most of all, fans have short memories, and may have forgotten Andy got a three year extension, and this is the first year of it. He’s not going anywhere, he’ll continue to manage a young, talented, but still developing team that’s not expected to contend all year except under perfect conditions, and he’ll manage it the way Preller and Company instruct him, not the way fans think he should. There’s the old saying, Genius does what it must, talent does what it can – and Andy does what the boss tells him to do.
I’m giving Andy G. some leeway this year. He’s never had this much talent to work with since becoming Padre manager.
There are a couple of mistakes I’d like to point out to him since he probably reads EVT every day;
4/19 against the Reds – In a tie game, Kinsler hits a double in the 10th with one out. A faster pinch runner (Urias) should have been inserted immediately. Instead, slow Kinsler gets caught trying to steal 3rd. Padres lose in 11.
Also, to agree with Tanned Tommy, why is Hosmer batting in the first four spots of the lineup? Crappy hitters bat 7th or 8th. Don’t be afraid to sit him since he sucks most of the time. A day off might wake him up
Somehow, someway, I just like Andy Green the person. But no matter what bad things we see on the field, I blame AJ Preller for it. Who knows for sure but I have always thought that Andy Green did as he was told. If true, I hate it because the lineup and constant tinkering drives me nuts. We saw it for most of last year and we are seeing it again.
Who traded for Mejia when Hedges was just becoming the defensive gem the Padres needed behind the plate? That wasn’t Green, that was Preller. When we see Mejia in the lineup and hear all this talk about he and Hedges sharing the catching duty, that is pure garbage. Everyone who comments on this site knows the Padres inside and out. I also think most of us know how stupid that idea is! Like any of us would honestly trust the kid (Mejia) to handle and mentor a young pitching staff? In my mind, whatever Hedges does with the bat, LEAVE HIM ALONE! He is the “Captain” of the pitching staff for God’s sakes! That said, NO ONE can positively explain the wisdom of that trade to me unless you also told me Mejia would be flipped to another team. I still hope that happens.
As for second base? At the time, it seemed Urias was just handed the job. Now we have another youngster who can hit and Ty France should be given every chance to compete equally for the job as Urias. We will see who is called up next!
It’s only April for pete’s sake. Take a deep breathe and enjoy the fact they are competitive and will continue to be. I assume they are considering Gio Gonzalez and Dallas Keuchel innings eaters and experience to help the youngins’ …. Then you can really start dreaming and bitching about every mis-step.
This team’s talent level is that of a 74-78 win team. A manager’s job is to give his team the best chance to win. He’s not going to turn Lauer into Koufax, or turn back the hands of time with Kinlser.
But some trends are clear, and troubling.
1) Bullpen overuse. This is a tough one because two guys have been great and the rest crappy. But Stammen is on pace for 77 games. Yates 85. And all this for a team that probably won’t finish at .500. Why?
2) Catcher and 2nd base. It’s not the manager’s fault when guys don’t/can’t hit, but Mejia and Urias don’t look like ML hitters. Mejia needs to join Urias in AAA so both can play regularly.
3) Eric Hosmer. Ugh. I get it, the guy can’t be sent to the minors, and he can’t be traded, but does he have to play everyday and bat 2nd? Giving Hosmer more at bats than Machado, Myers or Tatis is unforgivable. The concepts are personal responsibility and organizational accountability. Meaning, you hit you play. You don’t hit, you sit, no matter what your salary. And if you play even when you don’t hit, you bat 6th. Over the last 3 years against LHP, Hosmer’s slash line is .229/.278/.363. Brutal. He needs to sit against LHP. Let Myers play 1B and get Margot, Renfroe and Reyes all play against LHP.
So should Green be on the hot seat? Yes. His stubbornness in batting Hosmer 2nd is making the argument for a managerial change.
NO.
Be realistic.
He has a heck of a lot of respect in that clubhouse. I know that.
Finally, field him a team with some major league talent and veteran pitching.