3 reasons why the San Diego Padres need to move on from Bob Melvin

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It is hard to imagine, but less than a week remains in an otherwise disappointing season for the San Diego Padres. It has been a myriad of missed opportunities. We wrote a few weeks back that the first order of business in the offseason is for team owner Peter Seidler to remove A.J. Preller as head of baseball operations.

Last week, a report in The Athletic (subscription required) described the Padres as being dysfunctional. The accusations came from unnamed sources who work in the organization. They felt neither Preller nor team manager Bob Melvin offered any direction for the players. It seems Seidler has no choice but to make a clean sweep and fire Melvin at season’s end.

Arguably, the Padres have one of the most talented rosters in baseball. However, they have played with no sense of urgency this season. Major league players feed off the energy of their manager. Melvin is the man in charge but rarely shows emotion inside the dugout. Often, he disappears into the background.

The Friar Faithful has plenty of “what-ifs” about Melvin’s questionable managerial decisions. What if he handled the bullpen better? What if he pressed Preller to acquire a full-time designated hitter? And what if he benched Austin Nola earlier?

Mishandling of the San Diego Padres bullpen

The Padres bullpen can best be described as the sum of parts does not equal the quality of the closer. Often, unsurmountable leads evaporated into crushing defeats.

Melvin had to deal with several obstacles. Robert Suarez started the season on the injured list, and Drew Pomeranz dealt with several setbacks while attempting to recover from flexor tendon surgery. Each was instrumental in getting the Padres to the 2022 postseason.

At times, it looked like his hands were tied. The lack of bullpen options forced Melvin to call an audible. He brought Luis Garcia (4.03 ERA) and Tim Hill (5.48 ERA) into high-level late-inning situations. It did not work.

Give Melvin credit; he never criticize Garcia or Hill after a poor outing. To a fault, he remained confident in their ability to bridge the gap to Josh Hader. However, each needed their roles scaled down to gain better results.

Melvin mistakenly trusted the data over his baseball instincts. Computer analytics dictate which bullpen piece works best for certain late-inning situations. The data is dependent upon past results with no care for the human element in sports.

Melvin is a baseball lifer who made his major league debut in 1985. He failed to read a struggling player’s body language. Sometimes, it is best to trust your instincts.

San Diego Padres: Lack of run production from DH position

The mishandling of the designated hitter position heavily contributed to the offensive struggles. Melvin was too slow in removing the platoon (Nelson Cruz and Matt Carpenter) from the lineup. Neither player’s run production warranted playing time.

Cruz appeared in 49 games before his release in early July. His performance was disappointing as he hit .245/.283/.681 with five homers and 23 RBI. He showed no power upon contact. His slugging percentage (.399) was significantly lower than his career average (.513). Melvin patiently waited for him to return to form, but that hope slowly faded away,

Carpenter has not been able to recapture the success he achieved before fracturing his foot with the New York Yankees late last season. He batted .305 with 15 homers and 37 RBI in 47 games. Many thought the Padres were astute in signing Carpenter in the offseason.

The Friars expected him to improve run production with timely hitting with runners in scoring position, but his bat has been a disappointment. Carpenter was hitting .176/.322/.319 with a .641 OPS; all the numbers were below his career average. Melvin was confident there were still quality hits left in Carpenter’s bat, but that appears not to be the case.

Melvin should have waved the white flag and acknowledged the signing of Cruz and Carpenter was a mistake. The lack of production forced Melvin to search for solutions. However, their replacements have not fared much better results either.

Trouble assessing the San Diego Padres catching situation

The lack of production from the catcher position has been unsettling to watch. No question, Melvin failed to assess how dire the situation was before leaving Peoria. Austin Nola was supposed to be a run producer from the right side, but his bat had no pop (four extra-base hits in 130 at-bats). It took way too long for Melvin to remove Nola from the lineup. Why? Well, he may not have wanted to disturb the efficiency of his starters by inserting a new catcher into the mix.

But the Friars desperately needed production from the bottom third of the batting order. Preller filled the void by claiming Gary Sanchez off the waiver wire. He provided a much-needed combination of power-hitting and solid defense metrics behind the plate.

In 72 games, Sanchez hit 19 homers and posted a .792 OPS. Plus, the starting rotation lauded his ability to frame pitches that gained them called strikes. Currently, the Padres pitching staff has a 3.87 team ERA, which ranks them fifth in the majors.

If we learned one lesson from the Padres 2023 season, Ethan Salas is the franchise’s next catcher. It is hard to imagine a player making his major league debut before his 18th birthday ... and that could happen next season.

This season was a no-win situation for Melvin as the Padres have the third-largest payroll in baseball. He would have been NL Manager of the Year if the Friars lived up to expectations. Instead, Melvin could become the Friar Faithful’s sacrificial lamb for the team’s misfortunes.

The Padres were never ready to take off in 2023. The team waited to have their longest winning streak of the season until they were a longshot to make the postseason. You cannot fire the players; they’re too good at their jobs. So, the next logical choice is the manager.

Seidler has to cut the cord as the disappointing 2023 season provides an exit ramp from the current regime.

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