Wil Myers reunion with Padres is sentimental twist with sneaky player-dev upside

In San Diego, Wil Myers will always be heralded. An eight-year tenure with the Friars, Myers was one of the very few bright spots for the Padres during the franchise's dark ages in the 2010s. He brought a life and a refreshed honesty to the team when fans needed someone to entrust, and now, Myers can impart that on minor league players within the Padres' organization.

Joining the Padres as a special assignment coach in player development, Myers will make his return as with San Diego in the form of a necessary coach for players struggling in minor league ball.

“I think every player, when they’re done, thinks about some things that could have helped them in a time where they were struggling,” Myers said on MLB.com. “I think it would be cool to be able to express those things to some of the players.”

Wil Myers is hired as special assignment coach for Padres minor leaguers

Myers was a great big leaguer. He played for 11 years, produced 381 extra-base hits, and provided defensive flexibility at all three outfield spots and first base. Those are important notes on Myers, but his desire to relate to minor leaguers is far more valuable than looking at his stats.

Myers was a top prospect within the Royals' organization, but traded a few years later to the Rays. Building his way up with a different team, Myers was traded once again to the Padres ahead of the 2015 season. It was here where he had to endure a difficult time for the Padres, but he handled it as as well as anyone could.

You can argue that Myers understands the difficult side of the business of baseball as well as anyone. He lived it, through thick and thin. Having him on the staff and traveling around to different Padres affiliates will be huge for this team. Maybe he can teach lessons on mentality, struggles, and also how to hit better (the Padres have a lot of top pitching prospects, but are lacking in the hitting department).

Myers has always been known as a kind, cool, and open-minded player. The Padres gained a significant resource by hiring him to a bit of a unique role. We'll see how often Myers travels around, but if he and the team see that his wisdom is sticking with the younger players, it would be interesting to see how he climbs the coaching ladder with San Diego.