Front Row Seat: Padres hire bench coach, hitting coach
Also, San Diego FC is headed to the Western Conference final and SDSU got smoked by Michigan.
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John Gennaro
John Gennaro
San Diego Padres
Padres add experienced bench coach, rookie hitting coach - San Diego Union-Tribune
Knorr served as bench coach for the Nationals from 2012 through 2015, Stammen’s final four years pitching for Washington. After working under managers Davey Johnson and Matt Williams as bench coach, Knorr served in the Nationals organization in various roles from 2016 through this past season. Knorr has been a bullpen coach, first base coach and catching coordinator, minor league manager and also worked as an adviser in player development.
Souza takes over for Victor Rodriguez, who left to be the hitting coach for the Astros. This will be the first big-league coaching job for Souza, who spent parts of eight seasons in the major leagues before retiring in the middle of the 2022 season.
Padres to hire veteran coach Randy Knorr, former outfielder Steven Souza Jr.: Sources - The Athletic
The Padres have interviewed candidates to replace their former third-base coach, Tim Leiper, who left to take the same role with the New York Mets. That could be among the final hires for a coaching staff that appears largely complete. The team retained pitching coach Ruben Niebla, who club sources said will have “associate manager” added to his title, and bullpen coach Ben Fritz. First-base coach David Macias is expected to stay, as well.
Jeff Passan's 2025-26 MLB offseason preview, intel, updates - ESPN
Okamoto could prove to be a cost-effective alternative to Pete Alonso (who projects for low nine figures) and can point to Yoshida's $90 million deal as a comp. The Mets, Astros, Yankees, Pirates, Marlins, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks all seem to be in on the first base/designated hitter market to various degrees – and could be looking for a cheaper option than signing Alonso, Kyle Schwarber or Murakami, where Okamoto is the fallback option.
