Ron Fowler again speaks candidly about the Padres
Credit: AP Photo
San Diego Padres’ owner Ron Fowler again spoke very candidly about his team.
Say what you want about the San Diego Padres’ owner Ron Fowler- but he is passionate.
The franchise that has been under much scrutiny in recent years has an owner who is not afraid to speak his mind. A few seasons ago, Fowler went on local radio and publically trashed ace pitcher James Shields. The pitcher was not happy. Fowler may have ruffled the feathers of Shields, but he was not lying in his assessment of the pitcher.
“To have a starter like (James) Shields perform as poorly as he did yesterday is an embarrassment to the team, an embarrassment to him,” Fowler said about James Shields that day in 2016. The pitcher was dealt soon after that to the Chicago White Sox. Fowler is, after all, the owner of the team. He signs the payroll checks.
On Monday, Fowler’s latest candid comments took place at an SD Social Summit event held by the Padres. The owner spoke to the invited crowd and first said that only five of the men of the 25 man roster met expectations in 2019. He mentioned Kirby Yates, Chris Paddack and Greg Garcia by name, but did not mention the other two players that met his standards. “We did suck this year,” Fowler admitted to the crowd. That is certainly refreshing. The fans appreciated the fact that he was brutally honest with them.
He went on speaking to the crowd with no holds barred- “I’ve run out of patience some time ago,” Fowler quipped when asked about Wil Myers and Austin Hedges. The owner mentioned that he was not pleased with Eric Hosmer at first base either and blamed “instant gratification” for the problems with the Padres’ hitters.
Hedges and Myers continued to draw the ire of the owner.
When asked about Myers, Fowler mentioned that the Padres would “eat” around $10 million of his annual salary to ship him out of town. These comments are a bit of a shocking thing to say in public. I am sure there is displeasure with Myers, but all your cards are shown with a reaction like this in an open forum. Fowler also seemed upset with any talk about Austin Hedges potentially winning a Gold Glove.
The owner went as far as to mention that “heads will roll” if the team does not succeed soon.
Ron Fowler said nothing too extreme. But he did not pull any punches either. The players will get word of these comments. How they take them is entirely up to them. Individual players will be highly motivated by stirring criticism like this. But at the same time, not all people are created the same. Motivation comes in different ways. It will be interesting to see if these candid comments come with some transactions. We do know that the Padres will be busy this winter.
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.
Mr. Fowler did not say anything that we didn’t all think at some time during this past season, however he does need to realize that he may have tied his G.M.’s hands behind his back for this upcoming off-season. Mr. Preller’s next hiring of the new manager will go a long ways in helping the teams win-loss record and development of all our young players. I’m hoping for Sandy Alomar Junior.
At least he didn’t grab the pa at petco and call them a bunch of “short order cooks”. Ha!
While I can’t say that these statements always generate motivation, I give Fowler credit to be honest and direct. Ultimately it is up to each and every player out there as to whether they will use this to move their spirits and motivate them or become their personal distraction. Considering how much each of them
Is paid for one year of their professional service and work, I hope for everyone that it’s the former and not the latter. Good luck to the Padres; players coaches managers owners and most of all the fans that pay for all the above.
His words add even more pressure to his massively incompetent gm. Now Preller is even more likely to make panic/embarrassingly bad moves in order to keep his job. Now other teams know this as well. Get ready for Preller to get swindled again as he did with the pressure moves of 2015.
While it is refreshing to hear call some things out, there is a line he should not cross. For one, he severely damaged their leverage in any trades. However, while it was a fluke, it worked out with the Shields debacle! Will lightening strike in the same way twice? Also, less than 20% of the players met expectations (well over 30 people played for them)? Who is to blame for that, exactly? He did not mention the herd of elephants in the room, AJ Preller.
It isn’t always necessary to say what one is thinking. To single out players by name like this is counter productive.
And you left out the most interesting part of his remarks: heads will roll, “starting with mine. ”
What the heck is he talking about? Is he going to sell the team? Step aside as managing partner? Guillotine himself in center field?
Fowler might be candid, but he also seems to once again be suffering from foot-in-mouth disease.
Fowler shouldn’t be disparaging Myers and Hedges in public like this. I thought he had learned his lesson from the James Shields fiasco.