The San Diego Padres are looking for a new manager after letting former manager Bob Melvin go to join the division foe San Francisco Giants. San Diego is coming off a disappointing season in which they failed to make the playoffs despite having one of the best offseasons in recent memory.
With the World Series done, the Padres’ real search begins. But that hasn’t stopped old tales from surfacing about the Padres’ search for a new manager just two years ago.
Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy has been all over the news since the Rangers won the World Series, and he has cemented an already legendary managing career. Bochy won three World Series titles with the San Francisco Giants in the early 2010s and has been seen as one of the best in the league.
He took some time off after the 2019 season, only for the Rangers to call him last offseason to return. Bouchy did just that and now has four World Series wins to his name.
However, before to his retirement for Texas, Padres Vice Chairman Ron Fowler lobbied hard for the team to lure Bouchy back to San Diego for the 2022 season. He managed the Padres in the 1990s and was instrumental in the team’s second World Series appearance in 1998.
The team ultimately went with Melvin, but if Bouchy had returned to San Diego, maybe the last few years for the Padres would have turned out differently. Bouchy is known for his ability to get the best out of his players, and he is one of the better baseball minds in the game today.
