Is Jayce Tingler's Time As The Padres Manager Ticking?

Despite a 60-game season in 2020 that many fans want to forget about, the San Diego Padres opened many eyes as they impressed by making history and being known as the "Slam Diego Padres". Finishing the season at 37-23, the Padres made it to the postseason for the first time since 2006 and they were clutch and exciting to watch the whole way through with their new manager. However, in 2021, we are back to reality with a full 162-game season which is great but the Padres playing to the level of competition has made this season very frustrating.

I have given Jayce Tingler a chance as the most recent manager for the Padres just like I did for Machado, Hosmer and more as ballplayers. In 2020, "Slam Diego" is what erupted into a successful season for the Padres despite Jayce Tingler at first defending his former team in the Texas Rangers. I gave Tingler another shot and decided to just ignore that statement since I really hated former manager Andy Green. I remember in Green's last year, I went to Baltimore and Green took out Christian Villanueva after botching a play in the infield. That is a name in the past first of all but second, I remember screaming from the third base side "Hey Green, that is the smartest thing you have ever done and there ain't much in that category!" I am ruthless. The moment Andy Green got fired, I was jumping up and down in front of a basketball crowd at college knowing it was the right move and it was about time it happened. Fast forward to the next hiring and Tingler took it.

I will be honest, I prefer younger, new managers that take a look at advanced stats and more but I did not mind if the Padres hired Joe Maddon. There were not many valuable options keep in mind. Now, Tingler is relatively young for a manger at 40 years old. Andy Green is also in his early 40s but he had no clue what he was doing all the time so he is now with the Cubs as a bench coach. Tingler is also bilingual. (Fun fact: Padres catcher Victor Caratini "The Scientist" is as well). So that easily enticed San Diego to sign him up since he can be a young manager with the ability to speak in different languages. Tingler worked his way up to a bench coach role with the Rangers and now has had his time to shine with the biggest opportunity being a Major League Baseball manager.

It is not as easy as it looks being a manager for a team; however, critiques will still be on the way since this team A.J. Preller put together is better than what it looks recently. As of now, the Padres have a 47.1% chance to make the playoffs according to ESPN. I do not trust ESPN as they just throw numbers out there but the way San Diego has just given games to below .500 opponents has been pathetic. Blame a lot of that on Jayce Tingler. The Padres are 31-20 versus teams above .500 which is solid. However, take their record at 67-55 and it does not make a good difference. San Diego is 36-35 versus teams below that .500 mark. Thanks Tingler. Yes, I am blaming him. Managers should be leaders and know how to lead a team out of weaknesses. I understand the injuries as of recent have made this so much tougher on the staff because of pitching coach Larry Rothschild (I tore him up in my previous article.) But damn, can Tingler get his act together?

In 2020, San Diego was terrific as they even made the NL West interesting by possibly winning the division. They came up short and lost to the Los Angeles D*dgers in the postseason after making a unbelievable series against the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card, but they should have learned from that by now and they are better than this.

The Padres for the first half of the season lead the majors in stolen bases. I loved it! Get in scoring position, hit and run attempts, you name it! San Diego was feared when they got on base. Now, the Los Angeles Dodgers lead in that category with 86 total. San Diego dropped to 5th overall with 69 (nice). In fact, the Padres have not recorded stolen base since August 10th versus the Miami Marlins in which Myers recorded his seventh stolen bag. By not recording a stolen base since, the Padres are 1-6 since that date. In those seven games, the Padres have only averaged 3 runs per game! Woah that is not pretty at all and it does not help that out pitching rotation is hurt. Tatis, the future 2021 MVP has recorded 23 stolen bases in just 90 games, Pham is right behind with 13. Profar is in the midst of a rehab assignment in Triple-A El Paso but he has 10. The Padres need to be aggressive on the base paths again! That is easily on Tingler for relying too much on rallies with a few swings. Make it easier for them to score by getting in scoring position early and often. On the bright side, the Padres rank #27 in double plays committed with only 0.81 in 2021 but knowing my luck I probably just jinxed it.

To conclude, Tingler should have a better plan for the Padres to truly take advantage of this month and the season. Do not be afraid to criticize your team for its weaknesses at times. Have the team be aggressive and steal bases to get into scoring position. But most importantly, tell this Padres team each and everyday to play every game like it is a World Series matchup. Even better, Tingler should tell the team to go out and play the opponent like it is the Los Angeles Dodgers since San Diego is 7-3 against them in 2021. Tingler, your time is ticking. Keep having this talented roster lose to the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks and I am sure you will be heading out after this season with such high expectations that were bound to happen.