With the news that San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt is retiring, the SF Giants just got a kick in the pants to get things wrapped up and make Nick Hundley the next manager if he is the team’s top choice.
The news of Shildt’s retirement comes as a bit of a surprise given San Diego did very well in the two seasons he served as manager. He took over as manager after Bob Melvin left the Padres for the Giants and delivered two 90-plus win seasons as San Diego made the playoffs each of the last two seasons.
SF Giants need to act quick on Hundley after Shildt’s retirement
San Diego lost in the NLDS last season and in the Wild Card round this year, but they have still been a force in the NL West and have been the main challenger to the supremacy of the Los Angeles Dodgers these last two years.
Now, with San Diego looking for a new manager the Giants may have some competition for Hundley. The former Giants backstop spent the first six and a half seasons of his career with the Padres so he has a lot of familiarity with that organization and would make sense as a manager there.
Our own Jeff Young noted on social media that the job in San Diego is a pretty appetizing one given the talent currently amassed on the roster. It could certainly be intriguing for someone like Hundley who would be entering his first managerial job.
Hundley has reportedly become the frontrunner for the Giants’ manager job. MLB insiders have mentioned him as a possibility ever since Melvin was fired and he has experience with president of baseball operations Buster Posey dating back to when he was Posey’s backup in 2017 and 2018 with the Giants.
We will have to see if the Padres make a play for Hundley given he seems to be the favorite in San Francisco. They may want someone with more experience to be the manager given where their roster is at, but Hundley is an attractive choice in the mold of someone like Stephen Vogt who has had great success with the Cleveland Guardians even though that was his first managerial job.
If Hundley is indeed Posey’s top choice for the job, the Giants should probably not drag their feet and should make sure that he will be managing for the orange and black next season before the Padres try to swoop in and steal him away.
