Page 16 - aruba-today-20231123
P. 16
A16 SPORTS
Thursday 23 November 2023
Padres give Mike Shildt another chance to manage 2 years after
his Cardinals exit
By BERNIE WILSON Preller. “I’m really grateful
AP Sports Writer for a second act,” Shildt
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The said at a Petco Park news
San Diego Padres have conference. “Not every-
given Mike Shildt another body gets it. You take for
chance to manage in the granted there are only 30
big leagues, just two years of these jobs. I promise you
after his run with St. Louis I won’t take this one for
ended abruptly despite granted. I’m excited about
him leading the Cardinals our team.”
to three straight playoff Both Shildt and Preller
appearances and winning spoke fondly about Peter
the 2019 NL Manager of Seidler, the Padres owner
the Year Award. and chairman who died a
Shildt signed a two-year week earlier at 63.
contract on Tuesday to re- Seidler dreamed aloud last
place Bob Melvin, who was spring about the Padres
hired away by his home- winning the World Series
town San Francisco Giants and having a parade. But
on Oct. 25 with a year left the star-studded roster,
on his contract with the which had baseball’s third-
Padres. That ended a frac- San Diego Padres new manager Mike Shildt smiles during a news conference to announce his highest opening day pay-
tured two-year relationship hiring, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, in San Diego. roll of $258 million, flopped
with general manager A.J. Associated Press dramatically and missed
the playoffs.
Shildt has been in the orga-
nization for two years and
said he met often with Se-
idler “to talk baseball, talk
life, talk community, talk
charity. What a beautiful
soul, as everybody knows.
I was very blessed to have
gotten to know such a fine
gentleman.
There was such a pure
goodness about him.
“I’m going to be a big part
in helping carry his vision for
the San Diego Padres mov-
ing forward to ultimately
us winning a first World Se-
ries championship,” Shildt
added.
“That’ll be one way we
can remember the great
legacy of Peter Seidler.”
Shildt has been a senior ad-
visor to the major league
staff and player develop-
ment department with
the Padres since 2022. His
familiarity with the team’s
top minor league pros-
pects could be a bonus in
guiding a big league ros-
ter led by stars Fernando
Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, Manny
Machado and Xander Bo-
gaerts.
Shildt filled in as third base
coach early in the 2023
season after Matt Williams
had colon cancer surgery
The previous season, Shildt
also stepped in as third
base coach, first base
coach and bench coach
due to various medical
situations.q
