General Manager A.J. Preller discusses Padres’ progress, spring training
Tags: Major League Baseball, AJ Preller, MLB, Spring Training, San Diego Padres

General Manager A.J. Preller discusses Padres’ progress, spring training

Padres GM A.J. Preller

Padres General Manager A.J. Preller met with the media Thursday for the first time during spring training:

His thoughts on some points:

— On his first impressions of the Padres’ camp: “We’re excited about the group we have. Conversations about the roster pick up as we get closer to the end of spring training. Just seeing guys come into camp in shape and ready to go, attitude-wise it has been very positive. You always want to get through this part of camp without any health questions. Some of the guys coming back from injuries have looked good and ready to go.

“This time of the year is always a ton of fun. All the scouts and coaches are here. We’ve put so much prep work into the off-season. Seeing it on the field is the most exciting part. We spent the last three or four years, knowing the build was to get us to this season with a base that we think is going to help us move up the standings. Going along with the fans base . . . it’s pretty exciting.”

— On Padres goals: “We’ll look forward to the team having better results in the standings. We want to win. We’ve been working the last three or four seasons for a reason . . . to win at the Major League level. The goal over the past few years was to get to a point where competition reaches a point where we look up and we have Major League caliber players at Triple-A. We’re definitely getting closer to that. We’re not all the way there. That’s what good teams have. As we move up the standings, we hope that’s a sign that we’re getting better.”

— On manager Jayce Tingler: “He’s very comfortable on the field, very comfortable interacting with our players. Behind the scenes, he’s done a lot of prep work the last few months. He’s built a lot of relationships with the guys already. I’m excited to see the new staff come together and see Jayce continue to do his thing on the field with those guys. Tingler is at the park very early every day. He’s a guy I have a ton of respect for and love being around. It’s been a lot of fun the past few months getting back with him. Most importantly, he’s done a good job.”

— On Associate Manager Skip Schumaker: “He brings a lot. He’s not that far removed from being in the clubhouse as an active member of our roster. In the last few years, he’s had the ability to do a lot of different roles in the organization. He’s seen the minor leagues. He has great relationships with the guys in the minor leagues and the front office. Again, he has a lot of knowledge and content for Jayce as an extension of Jayce. Skip is seen as a future manager. It’s a really good deal for Jayce to lean on him.”

— On the coaching staff as a whole: “All staffs, you want to have a blend of experience and guys who bring a lot of different areas of expertise to the group. We have former managers in there who can help, guys who just came off the field, some guys who have been around the organization and know our players really well. All those things. The manager gets a lot of the attention, but it’s the coaching staff along with the manager. Great coaches around the game impact players as much as any manager at times.”

— On outfielder Tommy Pham: “A lot of it is what he brings to the table on the field, part of it is coming from a winning program. He had to fight his way to get to the big leagues and got there at a little later stage in his career. He appreciates the work that went into getting him to the big leagues. He’s seen winning with the Cardinals and last year and a half with the Rays. That’s a nice element to add to the group we have.”

— On right-handed starter Dinelson Lamet: “We’re going to let him pitch. We expect him to pitch every five days.”

— On left-handed pitching prospect MacKenzie Gore: “Give credit to MacKenzie. He’s a very mature young pitcher. He was that way when we were scouting him before the draft. He has a lot of ability and a lot of talent. He’s the first to tell you he has a lot to learn and a lot in front of him. The challenge is for him to get better and he’s the guy who challenges himself the most.”