Craig Stammen faces a Padres Year 2 curse that doomed his predecessors

Craig Stammen did more than enough in his first season as Padres manager to earn another one. He guided an imperfect roster through injuries, a losing streak and a questionable rotation. They still won 90 games and reached the postseason. It was a successful first season that sounds familiar.

Jayce Tingler reached the playoffs in his first season. Bob Melvin did it, too. As well as Mike Shildt. All three entered Year 2 with credibility and unfinished business. None returned for Year 3. Now Stammen gets his turn inside the most troubling pattern of A.J. Preller’s tenure.

Craig Stammen’s successful debut only gets him to the real test

Stammen entered the job without managing experience at any level. His familiarity with the organization and relationships with the Padres’ stars helped, but they couldn’t hide every rookie mistake.

He failed to have Ty France ready for a pinch-hit appearance in San Francisco. He appeared to lose track of a mound visit against Washington. Early in the season, he also trusted pitchers a batter or two longer than he should have.

Those were legitimate mistakes. But he also took accountability. We could see his decision-making improve as the season progressed. Stammen showed he could change. Year 2 will tell us whether those lessons stuck.

HIs best work came when the roster stopped cooperating. The Padres were three games below .500 and sitting 11th in the National League in late July. Their already-thin rotation had been shredded by injuries. Continuing with a traditional pitching plan would have amounted to losing in a more orderly fashion.

Stammen and his staff instead embraced pitching chaos. They mixed roles, created unconventional sequences and treated every available arm as a movable piece. The plan kept San Diego alive long enough to reach the trade deadline as a buyer.

His calm also prevented an eight-game losing streak from becoming a full collapse. Fans may not want to hear about optimism while losses pile up, but he made sure not to echo the panic outside the clubhouse.

This Padres pattern points directly at A.J. Preller

When one manager succeeds immediately and then fades, we can blame the manager. When three consecutive managers reach the playoffs in Year 1 and disappear after Year 2, the conversation has to move upstairs.

Tingler, Melvin and Shildt had different résumés, personalities and relationships with Preller. They still arrived at the same ending. It’s been an organizational pattern. One that doesn’t look like bad luck.

Preller must give Stammen a rotation that does not require another month-long magic trick. More importantly, he must prove the Padres can maintain a functional relationship with a manager after the initial excitement disappears.

Stammen is responsible for keeping the clubhouse engaged and eliminating the rookie mistakes. Preller is responsible for ensuring the organization does not devour another manager.

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