November 26, 2025 • 25 mins
The San Diego Padres are set to hire Steven Souza as hitting coach and Randy Knorr as bench coach to join first-year manager Craig Stammen's staff. Kyle Glaser and Heath Bell discuss the hires, including whether hiring a first-time hitting coach in Souza is too big of a risk, where Randy Knorr will make a major impact, and how long to give Stammen and his staff before making judgements on their performance. Plus, what the Padres should be most thankful for this Thanksgiving.
Download Cash App Today: capl.onelink.me/vFut/hap8idx8 #CashAppPod. Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. See terms and conditions at cash.app/legal/us/en-us/card-agreement. Direct deposit and promotions provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures.
Take advantage of Ridge’s Biggest Sale of the Year and GET UP TO 47% OFF by going to Ridge.com/FOUL #Ridgepod
Friar Territory is the official San Diego Padres podcast of the Foul Territory Network.
Follow us on X: @FriarTerritory
Kyle Glaser on X: @KyleAGlaser
Heath Bell on X: @HeathBell21
Two easy ways to support the show: Leave us a nice rating/review here and SUBSCRIBE to Friar Territory on Youtube!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Welcome into another edition of Friar Territory. I'm Kyle Glizer
alongside the iconic Heath Bell, here to break down all
things Potters. As the offseason continues, Heath, the Potter's coaching
staff is beginning to take shape. The Potters will reportedly
hire former race slugger Stephen Susa as hitting coach and
longtime Major league coach and former player Randy Norr as
(00:30):
bench coach. I want to start with Steven Susa. We've
talked a lot about the Potters hitting coach position. What
was your initial reaction to the higher.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
My first reaction to susas hopefully he can do a
better job. But it's just kind of revolving doors, so
the hitting coach until the guys actually produce a year
in and year out, it's just kind of it's a
mude point. Really. It just really is with the hitting coach.
(01:00):
I hate to say, but it just it seems like that.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Yeah, Potter's hitting coach is probably the least stable job
in all of Major League Baseball. We have seen them
cycle through coach after coach after coach after coach from
all different backgrounds, all different styles, all different experience levels.
We talked a lot about Craig Stammon being a first
time manager, not just a first time manager, but has
never managed your coach at any level of professional baseball, Miners, Majors,
(01:27):
any of it. They were going to need a hitting
coach to come in and potentially be someone who could
talk to the veterans, maybe with some authority and veteran
experience behind him as a coach. Instead, the Padres went
with another coach who has not coached at any level
of professional baseball. Steven Suso is thirty six years old.
(01:49):
He was a hitting advisor for the Rays last year,
but again, this will be his first time on a
bench at any level working with hitters on a day
to day basis. Given the Padres went with a first
time manager in Craig Stamon. That's just first time manager,
but someone who had never managed a coach before at
any level. Do you think it was the right move
(02:09):
going with someone who also has never met coached at
any level as the hitting coach? Do you think it
didn't really matter? How do you view that higher in
that context?
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Perfinly? And I don't think it really matters. You know,
you got to start somewhere. Usually you don't start in
the big leagues. But you know, somebody likes you and
likes you the how you talk and likes your ideas,
then they, you know, if they're higher up, then you
might start in the big leagues. But usually traditionally you
(02:39):
got to start in the minor league. Can kind of
see if that way works, and you know, but with
the Padres, the door has been revolving back and forth,
so you know, you never Yeah, it's interesting higher.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
So I want to start with Stephen Susan his career.
One of the arguments for would be he has had
success and experienced failure in modern Major League Baseball in
this age of velocity. He has lived it, he has
experienced it. He has on the ground experience that maybe
some of the older, more experienced coaches have not had.
At the same time, anytime you are hiring someone for
(03:16):
a position for the first time they've ever held it,
there will always be a learning curve. And I wanted
to kind of get your thoughts on this because we
know the patters have some big personalities in the clubhouse,
particularly in the lineup. You have some guys who are very,
very very accomplished over the course of their careers like
Ammanny Machado, like Exander Bogart's like a fanante Tis junior.
(03:39):
What does a coach need to do to earn those
guys respect? Does the fact that he was their peer
automatically start him from a little bit behind. You've lived this.
You had so many different coaches, so many different age
levels and experience levels. Did you feel like there was
an issue maybe with respect when it's a guy that's
similarly aged or maybe you know, just doesn't have that
(04:00):
background that maybe you would look to someone and say, oh, yeah,
there's automatic credibility there.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Really, to me, it just turns around trust. If you
can trust your teammate for not like squealing to other
people or a coach. You know, you tell something to
a coach and he tells somebody else that you can't trust.
So it's all about trust. It's all about building that
relationship with players and you know, coaches and the ones
(04:27):
that kind of say one thing and do another it's
hard to trust. And the ones that we'll say, hey,
you know, I'll be there at six am, you know,
ready to go, and they're there ready to go at
six am. You kind of you can kind of build
some trust there and you know, work on some things
and when you say, hey try this, just trust me.
Just see if it works, and the player got you know,
(04:48):
actually trust the coach and tries it and it works,
then you're going to just build up more trust. And
I really think the respect turns into the trust and
that's where for you know, being the best coach and
best player out there can be.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
So with that, looking at this coaching staff as a
whole now, and the Padricks still have to hire a
third base coach, we'll see what they do and we'll
get into Randy Norn a little bit. But given the
Potters are a team that is trying to win right now,
their stated goals are to compete and win a World Series,
compete for and win a World Series in twenty twenty six.
Having as we've talked about Craig Stamond with his background,
(05:28):
and then layering on a hitting coach with no previous
professional experience. Again, you understand it for maybe a team
that's rebuilding or is you know, has a few years
before they need to really perform. That way, the coaches
can figure it out as the players do. Is this
too big of a risk given where this team is.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
It might be. It's just time will tell. But you know,
that's kind of where the coaching staff has been the
last you know, you know what, twelve years, trying a
bunch of new people out. So it's not something I
think is the best idea. But I'm just trusting that,
you know, AJ and the Padres are doing the right thing,
and that's all I can do and just wait until
(06:11):
the season starts to see how it goes.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Yeah, And on that note, I do think it's important,
right we're talking about all the different ramifications, all the
different scenarios. The natural instinct a lot of times for
fans is to have an immediate reaction to any coaching
higher whether it's manager, hitting coach, pitching coach, going to
other sports as well, head coach is the NBA, NFL.
You need to let them actually coach and manage like
(06:34):
you have to give them a chance. I think a
lot of times saying in the off season, this is
a terrible hire, this is a great hire. You never
really know. You need to let them go out and
show they can do the job. And I think sitting
here and saying right now, oh, this is a terrible hire.
This is a terrible hier. This is a great hire.
This is a great It's way too premature, I will
(06:55):
say that again. This is a team that trying to win. Now,
the veteran corps. Going from an experienced manager and an
experience hitting coach to an inexperienced manager and inexperienced hitting coach.
I think it's hard to say they're in better position
now than they were last year. But again, like you said,
(07:17):
the front office made the determination that Craig Stamon and
Steven Sousa were the best fits for these roles. We'll
see if they were right.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Yeah, I'm hoping that they're right. You know, It's just
it's easy to go, well, hey, I want that veteran
guy that I know when he's doying, you know, Like
you know, when Ruben came over, it was kind of like, okay,
we know what he can do with the pitching. Well,
who knows what's going to happen. But I'm very sure
that when Rubin got his first job, people are questioning
(07:48):
it and then he just how to let him develop
guys and teach guys and turned into one hell of
a coach. And you know, I'm hoping the best for
the new guys in San Diego. So you know, you
just got to wait and see give them a chance.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Indeed, and like I said, we will see how it
all shakes out. All right, we still have to talk
about Randy nor who the padre is hired as bench coach.
We're going to take a quick break, hear words from
our sponsors and dive into that hire.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Hey, for all the parents out there with teens, it's
more hectic now than ever.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Cash App's going to help not her.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
With the cash App card, available to teens thirteen to
seventeen with sponsorship by an eligible parent or guardian, every
transaction triggers a real time notification for you to see,
empowering your team to practice independence while giving you peace
of mind by keeping track of their spending. You can
also manage everything directly from your own cash app account
without having to switch between the two. With the cash
App card, you and your teens balances receive twenty four
(08:43):
to seven fraud monitoring, and if something ever feels off,
you have the ability to lock their card right from
your phone in just one tap. For a limited time,
new cash App customers can earn ten dollars if they
use code Family ten in their profile at sign up
and send five bucks to a friend within fourteen days.
Terms apply app is a financial services platform, not a bank.
Banking services provided by cash apps bank partner, prepaid debit
(09:05):
cards issued by Sutton Bank member FDIC, direct deposit and
promotions provided by cash App, a Block Inc.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Brand.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Visit cash Dot App Slash Legal Slash podcast for full disclosures.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Welcome back into Friar Territory. Kyle Glazer alongside Heath Bell.
All right, Heath. We talked about Craig Stammon and Steven SUSA.
They're coming in first time on the job. Padres also
will be hiring Randy Nor as bench coach. I should
say they will reportedly hire Randy Nor as their bench coach.
This is a different situation. Randy Nor spent four seasons
as a Nationals bench coach, where he overlapped with Craig Stammon.
(09:39):
He's also served in a wide variety of roles over
the course of his career. He's been a bullpen coach,
he's been a first base coach. He's done a number
of different things. And on top of that, he played
parts of eleven seasons in the big leagues. So This
is someone who brings playing experience, brings coaching experience in
a number of different roles. I think that when you
have a situation like we've talked about with so many
(09:59):
first time coach and managers, bringing in a bench coach
with this level of experience, I do think that was
a smart move overall, what were your initial thoughts?
Speaker 2 (10:08):
It's a smart move. And also Craig knows Randy and
they've had a relationship with back in Washington, so it's
not like a brand new thing. And I'm pretty sure
they trust each other going over scouting reports back in
the day, and it's going to be the same thing
this way. So I think that one's a really good
hire for Craig to kind of help him out and
(10:29):
ease him into the being a manager role because he
could probably go to him and say, hey, am I
doing things right or this or that, and he'll probably
be like yep or nope and help him out. So
just like you, you know when you have your bullpen
coach when you're out there pitching.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Yeah, I think a lot of people don't fully know
what exactly a bench coach does. I'll let you lay
it out. What are the duties of a bench coach
and what makes them so important to a staff.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
He's kind of like your second manager. He's kind of
like the right hand man to the manager. You kind
of bounce ideas off. Are you going to do here
and there? You know, it's kind of like the manager
gets thrown out, then he's the manager, but it's kind
of somebody to could bounce some ideas off because you're
not in control of the pitchers, you're not control of
the hitters. You're kind of overseeing everything. And it's one
(11:17):
of the guys that you can bounce ideas off because
if you're talking to the pitching coach and you're like, hey,
should I hit this guy, Well, he doesn't know he's
the pitching coach, or go to hit her and say, hey,
I think you know the say the pitching the hitting
coach comes over and goes, you should put this guy
in the pitch. But you know, it's kind of like
the bench coach is kind of like that second manager,
(11:37):
the kind of the co pilot, you know, helping the
pilot lead, you know, driving the bus in the right direction.
So that's kind of what the manager does, and and
basically all the player's eyes is kind of the second
manager and the guy that they they're talking to back
and forth and bouncing ideas off.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Yeah, and again having that relationship with Craig Stammon and
maybe just again understanding how each other likes to work,
how each other thinks. That can go a long way
to just making it an easier, smoother transition. And you
see that play out over the course of games. When
you look at this staff as a whole. Right now,
Craig Stammon, Ruby Dieblo as pitching coach, will see what
(12:18):
his exact exact title is. He's going to get a
new title. Steven SUSA, Randy Nor those are kind of
the big four, right your manager, pitching coach, hitting coach,
and bench coach. What do you make of that staff
as a whole. We've talked about these guys as individuals,
but when you look at this as a unit, what.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Do you think, Hopefully it's going to be a really
good staff. I don't know, you know, it's kind of
it's a hid and miss. It's it's kind of like
a motley crew. You just don't know. It's you know,
You're I'm high hopes because I know some of them.
You know, and I know they're smart, but it's just
(12:55):
kind of I'm wishing for the best, but I just
don't know until after I see them manage at least,
you know, three months in the season, coach, or manage
three months in the season before I can really evaluate
and say, hey, it was a really good hier. I
don't know it was so yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
And again, I think you feel confident right with Ruben
Dieblo remaining on staff, that the Padres pitching staff will
perform at a high level. Ben Fritz, the bullpen coach
as well, plays a big part of that. Again, with
Randy Nor, you have a reasonable amount of confidence that
the players and coaches and managers will be prepared the
scouting reports, in terms of in game strategy. He will
(13:35):
be able to give good advice, He will help with
the prep. He will be certainly a very valuable member
of the coaching staff. Again, he was bench coach under
guys like Davey Johnson, one of the best most decorated
managers of all time. Also guys like Matt Williams who
was a first time manager, so he knows different dynamics
and I think that's important. You know, Steven Suza was
a power hitter. That was his game, that was who
(13:56):
he was in the major leagues. We've talked about the
Padre and their power needs, and again powers not everything.
You have to hit for average and power. It's not
an either or. You have to do both if you
want to be a championship team. But in order for
the Potters to get where they need to be in
terms of an offense, you need to add about seventy
(14:17):
five home runs to the total from last year. That
would make them a talk top six in the Majors
and home runs which is where all the most recent
World Series champions were.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
Well, just signed Kyle Schwarver and.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Require a lot of money which they don't have. But
I do think it's interesting, I knowing with a power
it bring. You know, Victor Rodriguez was very much a
contact oriented coach. That's who was in Cleveland, That's who
was with the Potters and had a lot of success. Again,
the Potters even last year top ten the Majors in
batting average, and I don't need to tell you how
many years the Potters could not make contact to save
their lives and it led to just a horrendous offense.
(14:52):
So there was success there. But this is an interesting
shift to me. Again, just the idea of going more
power oriented independent of the experience level. Do you think
that might be the right move?
Speaker 2 (15:05):
You know, I think they're trying to do the right thing.
I don't. I can't tell you if it's the right
move or not because it's really early, but they're trying
to It's like, okay, guys of contact, we lacked power.
We need to find a guy that's going to teach power.
So you know, they went out and got him. So
it's just there if you take a step back and
(15:29):
look and go, Okay, this is what they needed. They
went out and got it. Now we just have to
wait and see if it plays out and works.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
I think the best way I would describe this coaching
staff is it has potential to be a very good staff. Right,
We've talked about rubeni Able, We've talked about Randy Norn. Look,
you and I have both talked about Craig Stammon. Tremendous
baseball mind, natural leader, great communicator, all the things you
need to be a good manager. He has the baseline foundation.
Now it's just about experience. And again Stephen SUSA, right,
(15:59):
guy who has played the modern game, has had success,
has had failures, understands what these players are going through
day to day in a way that maybe someone who
played thirty years ago doesn't have that first person experience.
There's value there. So I think there's a lot of potential.
Like you said, it's going to be about how quickly
stamina SUSA can get up to speed on some of
(16:21):
the nuances and intricacies that you only really can master
with experience. And you mentioned thing earlier I want to
go back to for you, it's a three month learning curve.
You give him three months, and if after three months
you're not seeing the improvement, that's when you would sell
on the alarm belts.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
That I would be like, Okay, I don't know if
we've made the right decision. I'd start second guessing everything
that they're doing.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Yeah, I think that's fair, right, give him April. Well, now,
end of.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
Here's the thing for Craig. I think he needs to
get thrown out in the first month. Just get over
it to just you know, argue one call and just
go off, you know, just kinda just that's every every
first year manager. That's the big step when you're gonna
get thrown out. And I know managers don't get thrown
out as much as they used to, but that was
kind of the the stepping stone for everybody. And I
(17:12):
just think that all sudden everybody would rally behind him
and just be like, all right, he's our guy, and
just get it over with, you know, the little little things,
that little nuanced that managers got to do, our coaches
got to do, Just get done in the first couple
you know, do in spring training. I don't know, you know,
but I think by the third third month, the end
(17:34):
of three months, after ninety days, you can kind of
tell is the team going in the right direction or not.
So I really think it's it's going to take ninety
days to kind of assess and go, hey, is the
coaching staff there or I you know? Or am I
going to start second guessing everything they just did.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
That's an interesting point, Craig Stammon, get thrown out, get
the team behind him. We've seen some managers do that
very very effectively. They stand up for their guys, maybe
add some theatrics to it, and at the end of
the day it buys some some credibility. I think back
to Mike Schill against the Yankees throwing the pen, throwing
the glasses. That was one of the more eventful ejections
I've ever seen. And look the Potters got behind him.
(18:16):
And we'll see what Craig Stalmon has at the store
for his first career rejection. Every manager has one at
some point. It's just a matter of when we'll see
what Craig Stammons is. All right, Heath, we have one
more break and then I want to talk to you
about the things we should be thankful for as we
head into Thanksgiving. Despite all the turnover, despite the uncertainty,
(18:36):
the Potters as a franchise do have a lot to
be thankful for. We'll dive right into that after this
word from our sponsors.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
If you are still carrying a clunky leather brick that
can be mistaken for an old school wallet, may I
introduce you to what Eric Kratz is getting himself for
the holidays.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
I mean, this is the greatest wild that I've ever
seen my life. Your credit card's fitting here, It's adjustable,
lifetime guaranteed, like what what?
Speaker 3 (19:06):
Like?
Speaker 2 (19:06):
This is a must have for the holidays, absolute must.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
Have Ridge Olive matt That is a design that Kratz
has right now and you can get a hold of that.
There's over fifty plus colors and styles to choose from.
Over at Ridge, you can even get a wallet that
features every NFL, MLB or college team. And for a
limited time, Ridge is having their huge Black Friday sale.
Head to Ridge dot com slash foul to get up
to forty seven percent off your order. This is by
(19:32):
far the biggest discount they've given all year. That's Ridge
dot Com slash foul for up to forty seven percent
off your order during their biggest sale of the year.
After your purchase, I'll ask you where you heard about Ridge.
Tell them foul Territory sent.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
You all right, Heath, In the spirit of Thanksgiving, it's
time to say what we are thankful for and what
the Potters should be thankful for above all else, What
do you think the Potters should be most thankful for
this Thanksgiving?
Speaker 2 (20:02):
So it's gonna be interesting. So I really think the
Padre fans and the Padres should be thankful for the
Sideler family to come in and really dedicate, try to
really try to put a championship team together. And I
know there's all these you know, are they going to
sell the team or whatnot. And you could say some
bad contracts or whatnot, but really you had an ownership
(20:24):
that was, that has been and still is behind the team,
trying to do the best thing out there, putting a
great product on the field, and really truly trying to
win every year, even though a lot of teams say,
a lot of owners say we're going to try to
win this year, and you know they're not. Or the
sidel their family pretty much ever since they came in,
(20:46):
they've been trying to win every single year. So I'd
be very thankful for.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Them, no question about it. I think from the Potters' perspective,
the main thing that they as an organization should be
thankful for, and I know they are. I think for
four is the fans. Pottery's are top five in attendance
each of the last five seasons. And it's not like
the fans are showing up and they're there, but they're
leaving in the fifth inning, or it's a corporate atmosphere
(21:13):
like you get in some places like Boston, for example,
where a lot of people on their phones, they are standing,
they are going crazy. It is rollicking. It is absolutely insane.
From the first pitch to last. No one leaves early,
and that's even been the case during the disappointing seasons
in twenty twenty one and twenty twenty three. This Potter's
fan base has shown up consistently. They have brought their
(21:35):
best consistently, and they have turned Peco Park into one
of the best home thought advantages in baseball and frankly
one of the envies of Major League Baseball. It's amazing
how many other executives, league officials, players, coaches, anyone and
everyone talks about how amazing San Diego is. You have
an incredible ballpark in Peco Park, which has been there
(21:56):
for the better part of twenty years. But what the
fans have done. I have been amazed to someone who
has covered this team for over a decade. You know,
Tuesday nights during the school year against Kansas City sold out,
you know rainy days, rainy nights where you have to
bundle up, they're there. It has been incredible to watch,
and I think it's very, very important that the Padres
(22:19):
and just the entire organization at large is thankful for
their fans. They should be, and I know they are,
and really, I think everyone involved in baseball. You know,
San Diego as a whole is thankful for how the
community has turned out and showed up again and again
and again and supported this team.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Yeah, the fans love the Padres and they're really true fans.
They know everything about them, and they're passionate about their guys.
They really are. And you know that's a I want
to change my theory and thing and say, you know,
they should be thankful for the fans, but I think
the fans are thankful for the ownership, and the ownership
is thankful for the fans, and it kind of goes
(22:58):
a full circle. And yeah, it's just it's a good
place to be playing right now.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
Absolutely, and we will see if that continues in twenty
twenty six. Heath. Before we wrap up, I also want
to express what we are thankful for. First and foremost,
I want to say, I'm thankful for you for coming
on to the show with me this year. This has
been a blast. It's been fantastic having all your expertise
and insight. And also I am extremely thankful for all
(23:24):
of our listeners, all of our subscribers. We have had
a fantastic first year. We are excited to keep it
going thank you to everyone who has tuned in from
the start to now, and again there's lots more good
stuff coming. We have an exciting new co host beginning
next week and Marty Caswell. And once again, now is
a great time to hit that like button, hit that
(23:46):
subscribe button, leave us review, head over to Friar territoryshop
dot com. We've got Black Friday deals, we've got gift cards,
we've got everything. None of this will be possible without
you everyone who's watching and listening. We are very thankful
for you as.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
Well, and thank you guys. It's been awesome Friar Territories,
you know, talking about the Padres and really getting deep in,
you know, all the different situations, and it's just kind
of renewed my passion for the game and watching the Padres.
I mean I was always a baseball fan and a
Padre fan, but this year has been totally different, and
(24:20):
it's just more exciting to talk about and you know,
talk to fans about and go to the games and
talk to them about this show and all that stuff.
So thank you all.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Couldn't have set it better myself, Heath, thank you again
for joining me. As always, I hope you have a
great Thanksgiving. We will see you.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
After same to you. Bye.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
All right everyone, that'll do it for this edition of
Friar Territory. Once again, go ahead and leave us a review, Apple, Spotify, YouTube,
whatever platform you're watching and listening on. We would love
to hear from you for Heath Belt. I'm Kyle Glazer.
We will be back next week. We hope you all
have a fantastic Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Why stopfol
Welcome into another edition of Friar Territory. I'm Kyle Glizer
alongside the iconic Heath Bell, here to break down all
things Potters. As the offseason continues, Heath, the Potter's coaching
staff is beginning to take shape. The Potters will reportedly
hire former race slugger Stephen Susa as hitting coach and
longtime Major league coach and former player Randy Norr as
(00:30):
bench coach. I want to start with Steven Susa. We've
talked a lot about the Potters hitting coach position. What
was your initial reaction to the higher.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
My first reaction to susas hopefully he can do a
better job. But it's just kind of revolving doors, so
the hitting coach until the guys actually produce a year
in and year out, it's just kind of it's a
mude point. Really. It just really is with the hitting coach.
(01:00):
I hate to say, but it just it seems like that.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Yeah, Potter's hitting coach is probably the least stable job
in all of Major League Baseball. We have seen them
cycle through coach after coach after coach after coach from
all different backgrounds, all different styles, all different experience levels.
We talked a lot about Craig Stammon being a first
time manager, not just a first time manager, but has
never managed your coach at any level of professional baseball, Miners, Majors,
(01:27):
any of it. They were going to need a hitting
coach to come in and potentially be someone who could
talk to the veterans, maybe with some authority and veteran
experience behind him as a coach. Instead, the Padres went
with another coach who has not coached at any level
of professional baseball. Steven Suso is thirty six years old.
(01:49):
He was a hitting advisor for the Rays last year,
but again, this will be his first time on a
bench at any level working with hitters on a day
to day basis. Given the Padres went with a first
time manager in Craig Stamon. That's just first time manager,
but someone who had never managed a coach before at
any level. Do you think it was the right move
(02:09):
going with someone who also has never met coached at
any level as the hitting coach? Do you think it
didn't really matter? How do you view that higher in
that context?
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Perfinly? And I don't think it really matters. You know,
you got to start somewhere. Usually you don't start in
the big leagues. But you know, somebody likes you and
likes you the how you talk and likes your ideas,
then they, you know, if they're higher up, then you
might start in the big leagues. But usually traditionally you
(02:39):
got to start in the minor league. Can kind of
see if that way works, and you know, but with
the Padres, the door has been revolving back and forth,
so you know, you never Yeah, it's interesting higher.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
So I want to start with Stephen Susan his career.
One of the arguments for would be he has had
success and experienced failure in modern Major League Baseball in
this age of velocity. He has lived it, he has
experienced it. He has on the ground experience that maybe
some of the older, more experienced coaches have not had.
At the same time, anytime you are hiring someone for
(03:16):
a position for the first time they've ever held it,
there will always be a learning curve. And I wanted
to kind of get your thoughts on this because we
know the patters have some big personalities in the clubhouse,
particularly in the lineup. You have some guys who are very,
very very accomplished over the course of their careers like
Ammanny Machado, like Exander Bogart's like a fanante Tis junior.
(03:39):
What does a coach need to do to earn those
guys respect? Does the fact that he was their peer
automatically start him from a little bit behind. You've lived this.
You had so many different coaches, so many different age
levels and experience levels. Did you feel like there was
an issue maybe with respect when it's a guy that's
similarly aged or maybe you know, just doesn't have that
(04:00):
background that maybe you would look to someone and say, oh, yeah,
there's automatic credibility there.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Really, to me, it just turns around trust. If you
can trust your teammate for not like squealing to other
people or a coach. You know, you tell something to
a coach and he tells somebody else that you can't trust.
So it's all about trust. It's all about building that
relationship with players and you know, coaches and the ones
(04:27):
that kind of say one thing and do another it's
hard to trust. And the ones that we'll say, hey,
you know, I'll be there at six am, you know,
ready to go, and they're there ready to go at
six am. You kind of you can kind of build
some trust there and you know, work on some things
and when you say, hey try this, just trust me.
Just see if it works, and the player got you know,
(04:48):
actually trust the coach and tries it and it works,
then you're going to just build up more trust. And
I really think the respect turns into the trust and
that's where for you know, being the best coach and
best player out there can be.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
So with that, looking at this coaching staff as a
whole now, and the Padricks still have to hire a
third base coach, we'll see what they do and we'll
get into Randy Norn a little bit. But given the
Potters are a team that is trying to win right now,
their stated goals are to compete and win a World Series,
compete for and win a World Series in twenty twenty six.
Having as we've talked about Craig Stamond with his background,
(05:28):
and then layering on a hitting coach with no previous
professional experience. Again, you understand it for maybe a team
that's rebuilding or is you know, has a few years
before they need to really perform. That way, the coaches
can figure it out as the players do. Is this
too big of a risk given where this team is.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
It might be. It's just time will tell. But you know,
that's kind of where the coaching staff has been the
last you know, you know what, twelve years, trying a
bunch of new people out. So it's not something I
think is the best idea. But I'm just trusting that,
you know, AJ and the Padres are doing the right thing,
and that's all I can do and just wait until
(06:11):
the season starts to see how it goes.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Yeah, And on that note, I do think it's important,
right we're talking about all the different ramifications, all the
different scenarios. The natural instinct a lot of times for
fans is to have an immediate reaction to any coaching
higher whether it's manager, hitting coach, pitching coach, going to
other sports as well, head coach is the NBA, NFL.
You need to let them actually coach and manage like
(06:34):
you have to give them a chance. I think a
lot of times saying in the off season, this is
a terrible hire, this is a great hire. You never
really know. You need to let them go out and
show they can do the job. And I think sitting
here and saying right now, oh, this is a terrible hire.
This is a terrible hier. This is a great hire.
This is a great It's way too premature, I will
(06:55):
say that again. This is a team that trying to win. Now,
the veteran corps. Going from an experienced manager and an
experience hitting coach to an inexperienced manager and inexperienced hitting coach.
I think it's hard to say they're in better position
now than they were last year. But again, like you said,
(07:17):
the front office made the determination that Craig Stamon and
Steven Sousa were the best fits for these roles. We'll
see if they were right.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Yeah, I'm hoping that they're right. You know, It's just
it's easy to go, well, hey, I want that veteran
guy that I know when he's doying, you know, Like
you know, when Ruben came over, it was kind of like, okay,
we know what he can do with the pitching. Well,
who knows what's going to happen. But I'm very sure
that when Rubin got his first job, people are questioning
(07:48):
it and then he just how to let him develop
guys and teach guys and turned into one hell of
a coach. And you know, I'm hoping the best for
the new guys in San Diego. So you know, you
just got to wait and see give them a chance.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Indeed, and like I said, we will see how it
all shakes out. All right, we still have to talk
about Randy nor who the padre is hired as bench coach.
We're going to take a quick break, hear words from
our sponsors and dive into that hire.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Hey, for all the parents out there with teens, it's
more hectic now than ever.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Cash App's going to help not her.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
With the cash App card, available to teens thirteen to
seventeen with sponsorship by an eligible parent or guardian, every
transaction triggers a real time notification for you to see,
empowering your team to practice independence while giving you peace
of mind by keeping track of their spending. You can
also manage everything directly from your own cash app account
without having to switch between the two. With the cash
App card, you and your teens balances receive twenty four
(08:43):
to seven fraud monitoring, and if something ever feels off,
you have the ability to lock their card right from
your phone in just one tap. For a limited time,
new cash App customers can earn ten dollars if they
use code Family ten in their profile at sign up
and send five bucks to a friend within fourteen days.
Terms apply app is a financial services platform, not a bank.
Banking services provided by cash apps bank partner, prepaid debit
(09:05):
cards issued by Sutton Bank member FDIC, direct deposit and
promotions provided by cash App, a Block Inc.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Brand.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Visit cash Dot App Slash Legal Slash podcast for full disclosures.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Welcome back into Friar Territory. Kyle Glazer alongside Heath Bell.
All right, Heath. We talked about Craig Stammon and Steven SUSA.
They're coming in first time on the job. Padres also
will be hiring Randy Nor as bench coach. I should
say they will reportedly hire Randy Nor as their bench coach.
This is a different situation. Randy Nor spent four seasons
as a Nationals bench coach, where he overlapped with Craig Stammon.
(09:39):
He's also served in a wide variety of roles over
the course of his career. He's been a bullpen coach,
he's been a first base coach. He's done a number
of different things. And on top of that, he played
parts of eleven seasons in the big leagues. So This
is someone who brings playing experience, brings coaching experience in
a number of different roles. I think that when you
have a situation like we've talked about with so many
(09:59):
first time coach and managers, bringing in a bench coach
with this level of experience, I do think that was
a smart move overall, what were your initial thoughts?
Speaker 2 (10:08):
It's a smart move. And also Craig knows Randy and
they've had a relationship with back in Washington, so it's
not like a brand new thing. And I'm pretty sure
they trust each other going over scouting reports back in
the day, and it's going to be the same thing
this way. So I think that one's a really good
hire for Craig to kind of help him out and
(10:29):
ease him into the being a manager role because he
could probably go to him and say, hey, am I
doing things right or this or that, and he'll probably
be like yep or nope and help him out. So
just like you, you know when you have your bullpen
coach when you're out there pitching.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Yeah, I think a lot of people don't fully know
what exactly a bench coach does. I'll let you lay
it out. What are the duties of a bench coach
and what makes them so important to a staff.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
He's kind of like your second manager. He's kind of
like the right hand man to the manager. You kind
of bounce ideas off. Are you going to do here
and there? You know, it's kind of like the manager
gets thrown out, then he's the manager, but it's kind
of somebody to could bounce some ideas off because you're
not in control of the pitchers, you're not control of
the hitters. You're kind of overseeing everything. And it's one
(11:17):
of the guys that you can bounce ideas off because
if you're talking to the pitching coach and you're like, hey,
should I hit this guy, Well, he doesn't know he's
the pitching coach, or go to hit her and say, hey,
I think you know the say the pitching the hitting
coach comes over and goes, you should put this guy
in the pitch. But you know, it's kind of like
the bench coach is kind of like that second manager,
(11:37):
the kind of the co pilot, you know, helping the
pilot lead, you know, driving the bus in the right direction.
So that's kind of what the manager does, and and
basically all the player's eyes is kind of the second
manager and the guy that they they're talking to back
and forth and bouncing ideas off.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Yeah, and again having that relationship with Craig Stammon and
maybe just again understanding how each other likes to work,
how each other thinks. That can go a long way
to just making it an easier, smoother transition. And you
see that play out over the course of games. When
you look at this staff as a whole. Right now,
Craig Stammon, Ruby Dieblo as pitching coach, will see what
(12:18):
his exact exact title is. He's going to get a
new title. Steven SUSA, Randy Nor those are kind of
the big four, right your manager, pitching coach, hitting coach,
and bench coach. What do you make of that staff
as a whole. We've talked about these guys as individuals,
but when you look at this as a unit, what.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Do you think, Hopefully it's going to be a really
good staff. I don't know, you know, it's kind of
it's a hid and miss. It's it's kind of like
a motley crew. You just don't know. It's you know,
You're I'm high hopes because I know some of them.
You know, and I know they're smart, but it's just
(12:55):
kind of I'm wishing for the best, but I just
don't know until after I see them manage at least,
you know, three months in the season, coach, or manage
three months in the season before I can really evaluate
and say, hey, it was a really good hier. I
don't know it was so yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
And again, I think you feel confident right with Ruben
Dieblo remaining on staff, that the Padres pitching staff will
perform at a high level. Ben Fritz, the bullpen coach
as well, plays a big part of that. Again, with
Randy Nor, you have a reasonable amount of confidence that
the players and coaches and managers will be prepared the
scouting reports, in terms of in game strategy. He will
(13:35):
be able to give good advice, He will help with
the prep. He will be certainly a very valuable member
of the coaching staff. Again, he was bench coach under
guys like Davey Johnson, one of the best most decorated
managers of all time. Also guys like Matt Williams who
was a first time manager, so he knows different dynamics
and I think that's important. You know, Steven Suza was
a power hitter. That was his game, that was who
(13:56):
he was in the major leagues. We've talked about the
Padre and their power needs, and again powers not everything.
You have to hit for average and power. It's not
an either or. You have to do both if you
want to be a championship team. But in order for
the Potters to get where they need to be in
terms of an offense, you need to add about seventy
(14:17):
five home runs to the total from last year. That
would make them a talk top six in the Majors
and home runs which is where all the most recent
World Series champions were.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
Well, just signed Kyle Schwarver and.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Require a lot of money which they don't have. But
I do think it's interesting, I knowing with a power
it bring. You know, Victor Rodriguez was very much a
contact oriented coach. That's who was in Cleveland, That's who
was with the Potters and had a lot of success. Again,
the Potters even last year top ten the Majors in
batting average, and I don't need to tell you how
many years the Potters could not make contact to save
their lives and it led to just a horrendous offense.
(14:52):
So there was success there. But this is an interesting
shift to me. Again, just the idea of going more
power oriented independent of the experience level. Do you think
that might be the right move?
Speaker 2 (15:05):
You know, I think they're trying to do the right thing.
I don't. I can't tell you if it's the right
move or not because it's really early, but they're trying
to It's like, okay, guys of contact, we lacked power.
We need to find a guy that's going to teach power.
So you know, they went out and got him. So
it's just there if you take a step back and
(15:29):
look and go, Okay, this is what they needed. They
went out and got it. Now we just have to
wait and see if it plays out and works.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
I think the best way I would describe this coaching
staff is it has potential to be a very good staff. Right,
We've talked about rubeni Able, We've talked about Randy Norn. Look,
you and I have both talked about Craig Stammon. Tremendous
baseball mind, natural leader, great communicator, all the things you
need to be a good manager. He has the baseline foundation.
Now it's just about experience. And again Stephen SUSA, right,
(15:59):
guy who has played the modern game, has had success,
has had failures, understands what these players are going through
day to day in a way that maybe someone who
played thirty years ago doesn't have that first person experience.
There's value there. So I think there's a lot of potential.
Like you said, it's going to be about how quickly
stamina SUSA can get up to speed on some of
(16:21):
the nuances and intricacies that you only really can master
with experience. And you mentioned thing earlier I want to
go back to for you, it's a three month learning curve.
You give him three months, and if after three months
you're not seeing the improvement, that's when you would sell
on the alarm belts.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
That I would be like, Okay, I don't know if
we've made the right decision. I'd start second guessing everything
that they're doing.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Yeah, I think that's fair, right, give him April. Well, now,
end of.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
Here's the thing for Craig. I think he needs to
get thrown out in the first month. Just get over
it to just you know, argue one call and just
go off, you know, just kinda just that's every every
first year manager. That's the big step when you're gonna
get thrown out. And I know managers don't get thrown
out as much as they used to, but that was
kind of the the stepping stone for everybody. And I
(17:12):
just think that all sudden everybody would rally behind him
and just be like, all right, he's our guy, and
just get it over with, you know, the little little things,
that little nuanced that managers got to do, our coaches
got to do, Just get done in the first couple
you know, do in spring training. I don't know, you know,
but I think by the third third month, the end
(17:34):
of three months, after ninety days, you can kind of
tell is the team going in the right direction or not.
So I really think it's it's going to take ninety
days to kind of assess and go, hey, is the
coaching staff there or I you know? Or am I
going to start second guessing everything they just did.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
That's an interesting point, Craig Stammon, get thrown out, get
the team behind him. We've seen some managers do that
very very effectively. They stand up for their guys, maybe
add some theatrics to it, and at the end of
the day it buys some some credibility. I think back
to Mike Schill against the Yankees throwing the pen, throwing
the glasses. That was one of the more eventful ejections
I've ever seen. And look the Potters got behind him.
(18:16):
And we'll see what Craig Stalmon has at the store
for his first career rejection. Every manager has one at
some point. It's just a matter of when we'll see
what Craig Stammons is. All right, Heath, we have one
more break and then I want to talk to you
about the things we should be thankful for as we
head into Thanksgiving. Despite all the turnover, despite the uncertainty,
(18:36):
the Potters as a franchise do have a lot to
be thankful for. We'll dive right into that after this
word from our sponsors.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
If you are still carrying a clunky leather brick that
can be mistaken for an old school wallet, may I
introduce you to what Eric Kratz is getting himself for
the holidays.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
I mean, this is the greatest wild that I've ever
seen my life. Your credit card's fitting here, It's adjustable,
lifetime guaranteed, like what what?
Speaker 3 (19:06):
Like?
Speaker 2 (19:06):
This is a must have for the holidays, absolute must.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
Have Ridge Olive matt That is a design that Kratz
has right now and you can get a hold of that.
There's over fifty plus colors and styles to choose from.
Over at Ridge, you can even get a wallet that
features every NFL, MLB or college team. And for a
limited time, Ridge is having their huge Black Friday sale.
Head to Ridge dot com slash foul to get up
to forty seven percent off your order. This is by
(19:32):
far the biggest discount they've given all year. That's Ridge
dot Com slash foul for up to forty seven percent
off your order during their biggest sale of the year.
After your purchase, I'll ask you where you heard about Ridge.
Tell them foul Territory sent.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
You all right, Heath, In the spirit of Thanksgiving, it's
time to say what we are thankful for and what
the Potters should be thankful for above all else, What
do you think the Potters should be most thankful for
this Thanksgiving?
Speaker 2 (20:02):
So it's gonna be interesting. So I really think the
Padre fans and the Padres should be thankful for the
Sideler family to come in and really dedicate, try to
really try to put a championship team together. And I
know there's all these you know, are they going to
sell the team or whatnot. And you could say some
bad contracts or whatnot, but really you had an ownership
(20:24):
that was, that has been and still is behind the team,
trying to do the best thing out there, putting a
great product on the field, and really truly trying to
win every year, even though a lot of teams say,
a lot of owners say we're going to try to
win this year, and you know they're not. Or the
sidel their family pretty much ever since they came in,
(20:46):
they've been trying to win every single year. So I'd
be very thankful for.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Them, no question about it. I think from the Potters' perspective,
the main thing that they as an organization should be
thankful for, and I know they are. I think for
four is the fans. Pottery's are top five in attendance
each of the last five seasons. And it's not like
the fans are showing up and they're there, but they're
leaving in the fifth inning, or it's a corporate atmosphere
(21:13):
like you get in some places like Boston, for example,
where a lot of people on their phones, they are standing,
they are going crazy. It is rollicking. It is absolutely insane.
From the first pitch to last. No one leaves early,
and that's even been the case during the disappointing seasons
in twenty twenty one and twenty twenty three. This Potter's
fan base has shown up consistently. They have brought their
(21:35):
best consistently, and they have turned Peco Park into one
of the best home thought advantages in baseball and frankly
one of the envies of Major League Baseball. It's amazing
how many other executives, league officials, players, coaches, anyone and
everyone talks about how amazing San Diego is. You have
an incredible ballpark in Peco Park, which has been there
(21:56):
for the better part of twenty years. But what the
fans have done. I have been amazed to someone who
has covered this team for over a decade. You know,
Tuesday nights during the school year against Kansas City sold out,
you know rainy days, rainy nights where you have to
bundle up, they're there. It has been incredible to watch,
and I think it's very, very important that the Padres
(22:19):
and just the entire organization at large is thankful for
their fans. They should be, and I know they are,
and really, I think everyone involved in baseball. You know,
San Diego as a whole is thankful for how the
community has turned out and showed up again and again
and again and supported this team.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Yeah, the fans love the Padres and they're really true fans.
They know everything about them, and they're passionate about their guys.
They really are. And you know that's a I want
to change my theory and thing and say, you know,
they should be thankful for the fans, but I think
the fans are thankful for the ownership, and the ownership
is thankful for the fans, and it kind of goes
(22:58):
a full circle. And yeah, it's just it's a good
place to be playing right now.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
Absolutely, and we will see if that continues in twenty
twenty six. Heath. Before we wrap up, I also want
to express what we are thankful for. First and foremost,
I want to say, I'm thankful for you for coming
on to the show with me this year. This has
been a blast. It's been fantastic having all your expertise
and insight. And also I am extremely thankful for all
(23:24):
of our listeners, all of our subscribers. We have had
a fantastic first year. We are excited to keep it
going thank you to everyone who has tuned in from
the start to now, and again there's lots more good
stuff coming. We have an exciting new co host beginning
next week and Marty Caswell. And once again, now is
a great time to hit that like button, hit that
(23:46):
subscribe button, leave us review, head over to Friar territoryshop
dot com. We've got Black Friday deals, we've got gift cards,
we've got everything. None of this will be possible without
you everyone who's watching and listening. We are very thankful
for you as.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
Well, and thank you guys. It's been awesome Friar Territories,
you know, talking about the Padres and really getting deep in,
you know, all the different situations, and it's just kind
of renewed my passion for the game and watching the Padres.
I mean I was always a baseball fan and a
Padre fan, but this year has been totally different, and
(24:20):
it's just more exciting to talk about and you know,
talk to fans about and go to the games and
talk to them about this show and all that stuff.
So thank you all.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Couldn't have set it better myself, Heath, thank you again
for joining me. As always, I hope you have a
great Thanksgiving. We will see you.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
After same to you. Bye.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
All right everyone, that'll do it for this edition of
Friar Territory. Once again, go ahead and leave us a review, Apple, Spotify, YouTube,
whatever platform you're watching and listening on. We would love
to hear from you for Heath Belt. I'm Kyle Glazer.
We will be back next week. We hope you all
have a fantastic Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Why stopfol
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Bobby Bones Show
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.