As we first noted in the comments to Thursday’s IGD, Dave Magadan has been relieved of his duties as the Padres’ hitting coach. Merv Rettenmund, who held the position from 1991 to 1999, has been named as Magadan’s successor and will join the club in Anaheim for Friday night’s game.
What implications does this have? The one that immediately jumps to mind is that Padres hitters now have one less excuse, so they’d better start getting the job done.
I’m sorry but I think this is more the fault of the hitters and not Magadan. You can’t do much with an aging veteran like Vinny Castilla who is oft criticized for his approach. It will be interesting to hear what is said after this event today. Magadan may have just fell out of line with ownership and the players but you can’t blame him for some players struggles.
hate to see Mags get the boot but a mssage had to be sent, and July 31 is right around the corner. With just a wee bit more offense, this team would be doing a lot better in the standings with our pitching and defense, so message sent, not only to players but Bochy and probably Keven too. Ever been in a company where people got fired, everything starts working a little harder.
I don’t recall any Padres hitters using Magadan as an excuse, and I doubt it will make much of a difference the rest of this year. Maybe it will provide a psychological push; maybe Rettenmund can get hitters to bunt and move runners over when they have to. Maybe the team will improve offensively regardless – just because so many got off to a slow start for a wide variety of reasons.
I don’t think Rettenmund is as good as Mags, but change is good…
In Alderson I trust, but he might not have been in on this decision according to Towers’ comments, “This is MY move.” Could that also suggest Towers is trying to save HIS job too…
Speaking of Padres hitting, or lack thereof, this is degrading, yet hysterical at the same time:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/49527