Jayce Tingler got the opportunity of a lifetime by being named manager of the San Diego Padres following the 2019 season.
He is currently only 40 years old and was able to guide the Padres to the postseason in the bizarre, shortened 2020 MLB season.
2021 was supposed to be the year when the team could really show off their abilities and make a deep run into October.
But that did not happen.
The Padres finished 79-83 and Tingler has been fired.
Jayce Tingler is out as Padres manager after just two seasons.
San Diego missed the playoffs and finished four games under .500. pic.twitter.com/YU8MUyythL
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 6, 2021
This news is not necessarily shocking, but it does show just how far the Padres fell in such a short amount of time.
Failed Expectations
The Padres entered the second half of the season with a record of 53-40.
Finishing 79-83 is obviously alarming and while injuries were a key factor, someone has to take the blame here.
The collapse started around the middle of August.
The club went from 67-49 to 72-62 by the beginning of September.
They somehow only won nine games the rest of the way.
Winning the National League West was likely out of the question because of how unstoppable both the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants were during the regular season.
And truthfully, it would have been tough for the Padres even without this collapse once the St. Louis Cardinals nearly went undefeated over the final three weeks of the season.
But finishing below .500 was not in the plans with the level of talent on the team.
Finding The Right Fit
This Padres team, at least on paper, is stacked with talent.
Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado headline the offense, while Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, and Joe Musgrove are the big names in the rotation.
Unfortunately for Tingler, his rotation dealt with injuries and did not even have Mike Clevinger available at all in 2021.
Darvish and Snell both had ERAs over 4.00 and Chris Paddack was above 5.00.
So the goal now is to find the right manager to guide all this talent in 2022.
Tingler is an easy person to blame.
AJ Preller addressed the media today regarding the release of #Padres manager Jayce Tingler.@Padres | #BallySportsSD pic.twitter.com/X4nNNeilEv
— Bally Sports San Diego (@BallySportsSD) October 6, 2021
He showed up with a lack of managerial experience and GM A.J. Preller can simply say he took a chance and it didn’t work out.
Now comes the big hire for Preller and the Padres.
He has assembled this team and ownership has clearly taken his advice on spending big to win.
But where are the results?
The Padres made the postseason in 2020 with a 37-23 record in the most unique season in MLB history.
Before that, they had not gone to the playoffs since 2006.
Take out 2020 and the Padres have zero seasons with at least 80 wins since 2011.
First up, the manager can take the blame.
After that could be players, who get traded at some point.
But if the losing continues, Preller could be on his way out sooner than he thinks.
That is why this managerial hire is so crucial not only to the success of the franchise, but to his own job security.
NEXT: Padres Have These Major Questions To Answer In The Offseason
