"This better be a joke";"Who the f*ck?!!" - Padres fans vent frustration over Craig Stammen succeeding Mike Shildt

MLB: NLCS-Workouts - Source: Imagn
"This better be a joke";"Who the f*ck?!!" - Padres fans vent frustration over Craig Stammen succeeding Mike Shildt - Source: Imagn

The San Diego Padres have found their new manager, but this is not exactly going down well with the fanbase. According to multiple reports, the team is set to hire Craig Stammen, the former Padres reliever who spent six seasons in San Diego’s bullpen from 2017 to 2022.

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Stammen has agreed to a three-year deal, and the team is expected to make the announcement official on Thursday.

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The decision keeps things 'in the family,' given that Stammen has kept in touch with the organization since his retirement, serving in some unofficial mentoring and advising capacities. Around the game, he's considered a sharp baseball mind whom players respected for his leadership and preparation.

And for most fans, this came as a surprise with many were expecting a proven name from outside the organization, not a first-time manager who’s never coached professionally.

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"This better be a joke," a fan wrote.
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"What a trash-a*s team. So unserious. Loser franchise," one fan said.
"Who the f*ck?!!" a fan commented.
"How fitting — the guy who got the job wasn’t even on anyone’s list," another fan said.
"And he’ll be fired in two years. I’ve got my countdown ready," one fan tweeted.
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"Sounds a lot like the Jace Tingler hire. This is not going to end well," another fan commented.

Craig Stammen’s deep roots in San Diego made this hire feel inevitable

After a 12-year MLB career, including six steady seasons in San Diego from 2017 to 2022, Stammen retired in 2023 and immediately joined the front office as a special assistant in player development.

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In that role, he bounced between the big-league dugout and the minor league fields, mentoring young arms and staying connected to the heartbeat of the franchise.

During his time as a player, Stammen wasn’t a typical reliever. He was the guy teammates went to for advice, the calm voice in the room, the one who’d seen enough to know when to speak up and when to listen.

Over 333 appearances in a Padres uniform, Stammen put up a 3.36 ERA and one unforgettable moment: October 2, 2020, in what fans still call "The Stammen Game." Pitched as the opener in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Cardinals where he threw 1.2 scoreless innings to set the tone in the team’s first postseason series win since 1998.

The Padres didn’t just promote a familiar face but they handed the reins to someone who already feels like part of the team’s DNA.

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Edited by Shubham Soni
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