The San Diego Padres have made a decision on their open managerial gig. A month after dismissing Andy Green following four mediocre seasons, the Padres will move forward by appointing another first-time manager in Jayce Tingler, who had served with the Texas Rangers as the outfield and baserunning coach. The club announced the hiring on Monday:
The #Padres have agreed to terms with Jayce Tingler to become the 21st manager in franchise history: https://t.co/gsxkKbLPvP pic.twitter.com/ZtjCho3eRh
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) October 28, 2019
"Jayce has extensive experience in virtually every aspect of coaching, player development and baseball operations, and our entire group believes that he's the right person to lead our talented roster," Padres general manager AJ Preller said in a statement on Monday. "His multi-faceted skill set, combined with his ability to develop talent and help players reach their potential at the Major League level, were key factors in his selection as our manager. We are excited for Jayce to build upon the foundation we've laid in San Diego as we set our sights on October baseball."
Tingler, 38, had wore a variety of hats with the Rangers over the years following a four-season minor-league career. That includes time as an assistant general manager, as a field coordinator, and on the big-league coaching staff. Tingler's managerial experience is limited to the lower levels, as he spent three seasons overseeing Dominican Summer League and Arizona League (not to be confused with the Arizona Fall League) teams within the organization.
Tingler is currently managing Escogido in the Dominican Winter League, and general manager A.J. Preller was said to have met with him in the Dominican Republic on Monday. Preller, who worked with Tingler during their shared time together with the Rangers, was apparently the biggest proponent for him within the organization, with Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reporting that others with the Padres wanted an experienced skipper.
Ron Washington, the former Rangers manager and current Atlanta Braves third-base coach, had been in the running for the position. There had even been rumors the Padres might hire Washington as their manager and install Tingler in an apprentice role, with an eye on elevating him to the position over the coming years. Apparently the Padres decided the waiting was not only the hardest part, but also the easiest to remove.
Tingler will hope his time as Padres manager goes better than Green's did. In most of four seasons, Green never won more than 71 games. The Padres, complete with recent free-agent signings Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer, as well as a slew of talented youngsters, appear ready to take the next step as a team. It's now up to Tingler to guide them there.