Padres name Pat Murphy interim manager
SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – The San Diego Padres named Triple-A coach, Pat Murphy, interim manager for the remainder of the season on Tuesday.
“Pat Murphy’s 30 years of experience coaching and managing, and his success at every level, stood out to me as I came to this decision,” Padres General Manager A.J. Preller said. “His leadership ability, his respect in the clubhouse and his familiarity with our system will make this transition a smooth one for our players and coaching staff.”
This is Murphy’s sixth season in the Padres organization. He began as special assistant to baseball operations in 2010 and has spent parts of the last three years as manager of the Padre’s Triple-A affiliate.
Before joining the Padres, Murphy spent his entire coaching career at the college level, most recently at Arizona State University from 1995 to 2009.
The decision to bring Murphy on as manager followed Monday’s announcement that the team let former manager Bud Black go.
Black was hired by the Padres in November 2006, and was in the final year of his contract extension. He was named National League Manager of the Year in 2010, but the team never made the playoffs under his management.
The Padres have so far fallen well below their pre-season expectations, with a 32-33 record under Black. This is despite a team-record $109 million opening-day payroll from the acquisition of all-star caliber players Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Derek Norris and James Shields.
The team lost to the Oakland Athletics 9-1 in an interleague game Monday with bench coach Dave Roberts filling in as the temporary manager.
