The San Diego Padres fired manager Bud Black yesterday after a nine year run with the organization. Dave Roberts is taking over as the interim manager. This team had high expectations after having one of the most productive offseasons that I’ve ever seen a team have. They acquired Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Derek Norris, Wil Myers, James Shields, and possibly the best closer in the major leagues in Craig Kimbrel. These are huge names that people felt could help turn a team that was 77-85 into a playoff team. They absolutely could still make the playoffs, but they have struggled out of the gate.
Now, at a record of 32-33 this early in the season, was it fair for the Padres to dismiss Black? You can make the case that it wasn’t fair because it’s still early and it’s a brand new team, but I do think it was fair and here’s why. The Padres’ record should be significantly better. It starts with the pitchers in the starting rotation. Andrew Cashner has underperformed, Ian Kennedy has been a different level of brutal to watch, and other than James Shields, who has a record of 7-0 with an earned run average of 3.59, the Padres pitching staff has regressed. Craig Kimbrel is one of the best closers I’ve ever seen, but his ERA is at 3.60 in 2015. That’s an alarming stat to me. He hasn’t been nearly as dominant as he’s been in years past with the Atlanta Braves.
The most alarming stat to me is that Matt Kemp has hit 2 home runs. Yeah. I’m not joking. In 256 at bats, which leads the team, Matt Kemp has hit just 2 home runs. It’s the middle of June! Usually with Kemp it’s whether he can stay healthy or not. Not this year. When you are a big free agent signing and you’re hitting .246 with no power whatsoever, something needs to change. Outside of Justin Upton, Derek Norris, and Yonder Alonso since he came back from injury, everybody on this team has underperformed. This was supposed to be a team that could give the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers a run for their money in the National League West this season.
Was it fair? That’s tough to say. I think so. When things are going wrong, so many players are underachieving, and the team that had high expectations are disappointing everybody, the manager is going to take the fall. Was the trigger pulled too early? That has yet to be seen. Upper management is trying to avoid having a bust of a season, and maybe the team just needs a new voice. All I know is that I had the Padres finishing second in the division below the Dodgers and shocking the defending World Series Champion Giants. Black was 649-713 in his nine seasons as the manager of the Padres.
Oh, and Matt Kemp had better start hitting and prove that this is just an aberration, because the Padres owe the 30 year old center fielder 160 million dollars over the next 8 years.
