Craig Stammen and A.J. Preller at introductory presser
The San Diego Padres held a press conference on Monday to introduce new manager Craig Stammen to Padres fans and the press. President of baseball operations, A.J. Preller began by reviewing Stammen’s career with the organization, emphasizing his history as a player on the team, as well as a member of the staff after his career was done.
Preller detailed the leadership qualities he noted throughout the time Stammen has been a Padre, as well as his advanced knowledge of the organization and the players. After noting how impressed he has been with Stammen during his time with the organization, Preller outlined the leadership he exhibited during their Covid experience in helping to organize and implement protocols.
After giving Stammen the #14 jersey and Padres hat, Preller turned the microphone over to him. In his opening statement, Stammen emphasized the importance of family; both his own family and the Padres family. He participated in the first round of manager interviews as an interviewer due to his position as a member of Preller’s management team. He was then approached by Preller and told he was his first choice and was tasked if that was something he would consider.
Stammen and his family have been living in Ohio, so he approached the topic with his family and credits his wife and four kids for being open to the idea. He stated that as a family of faith, they prayed and fasted to come to their decision. After informing Preller that they were open to the idea, Stammen became part of the second round of interviews as a candidate.
Stammen emphasized that as a member of former manager Mike Shildt’s staff, he will continue many of the traditions and standards started by Shildt. He will bring his own ideas as well as include the resources gathered from other staff.
Stammen remarked that his relationship with pitching coach Ruben Niebla will be an important partnership for him going forward. He will lean on Niebla’s experience and talent to teach him what he needs to know to manage a pitching staff. He feels Niebla is one of the best coaches in baseball and he will rely on him the most.
Regarding his relationship with the media, Stammen joked that he knows almost all of them already and they already know how he handles adversity, citing the four-home run game he had as a player and that many of the media members in the room were covering the team at that time as well. He reassured everyone that he can handle criticism and will take the blame, while sharing the responsibility for the success of the team with his coaches and the players. He repeatedly used the word “partnership” to characterize his management style and relationships.
The other word used often was “family.” He stated a desire to build a family culture within the organization with the players and coaches. He heard from many former teammates and current Padres players after his hire was announced and was excited by their enthusiasm. He sees all of them as family and wants to build that culture within the clubhouse.
When Preller was asked why he chose Stammen above the other candidates for the job, he cited his strong leadership skills, his knowledge of the organization and its established culture and priorities, as well as his already good relationships with the players. Preller also said that his preparation and strong work ethic stood out.
Stammen ended the conference by talking about building relationships with the players by partnering with them, treating them like family and finding ways to motivate them to accomplish their goals. He also mentioned finding ways to keep them healthy through the long season and what that program will look like as they manage workloads and injury prevention.
97.3 FM interviews
After the presser concluded, Tony Gwynn Jr. of the Padres flagship radio station (97.3 The Fan) sat down with both Stammen and Preller for separate interviews.
Craig Stammen: Gwynn Jr. began by asking about the timeline that occurred to get to this point. Stammen said Preller approached him, while they were doing the first round of Zoom interviews. Because his family lives in Ohio, he didn’t think it would work, but he approached his family and after they decided they would be willing to move to San Diego, he then agreed to the process.
When offered the job, Stammen felt his old competitive juices begin to flow again. He emphasized that he recognizes his need for a strong support system around him to help his learning process. He will continue many of Shildt’s approaches and add his own energy and relationships. His concept of partnering will be in the mix, but he will take ultimate responsibility.
He finished his conversation by telling Gwynn Jr. that he wants to make the Gwynn family proud.
A.J. Preller: He knew the family situation was an obstacle to what he wanted from the start. Preller said he approached it in a step-by-step manner and waited for the result of the family decision. When Stammen accepted the offer to enter the process, he was their first interview of the second round.
When Gwynn Jr. asked what inspired him to pursue Stammen, Preller listed how genuine he is, his familiarity with the organization, his backbone, how competitive he is, his unique experience within the organization as a de-facto coach with Shildt’s team and his collaborative approach. He also mentioned his orientation toward building a culture based on family and how important that is to Stammen.
Regarding the notion that Preller just wants a “yes-man” as a manager, he responded that he runs a collaborative staff. All ideas are discussed and the best one wins. There is no computer that spits out a lineup and the manager will have the final say after the input is heard and discussed.
Gwynn Jr. ended by asking Preller about an offseason blueprint now that the manager is selected. The coaching staff will be settled within the next week, and Preller is heading out to the General Manager’s meetings in Las Vegas. They have an excellent bullpen, a strong core of position players, but need to address starting pitching as well as adding complementary pieces and one or two bats.
He addressed the idea of converting relievers to starters and said those conversations will take place as the offseason goes on. They will approach the players to measure their goals and interests as part of that process. The staff will then get to work finding the players to fill their needs as they go through the next few weeks.
