Padres chairman calls his team 'miserable failures'
The San Diego Padres are playing so poorly, even their front office has become frustrated with the team.
Padres executive chairman Ron Fowler called the team "miserable failures" in an interview with San Diego sports station Mighty 1090 AM on Wednesday.
"It's been embarrassing. I don't know how else to put it," Fowler said. "Our performance on the road trip, 1-7, was pathetic.
"I'm a very competitive individual. I think I've won a lot more than lost in my life. This baseball experience has been very frustrating, very embarrassing."
Fowler not only berated the team's performance and motivation, but pointed a finger directly at right-hander James Shields, who the club signed to a four-year, $75-million contract in February of 2015.
"To have a starter like (James) Shields perform as poorly as he did yesterday is an embarrassment to the team, an embarrassment to him," Fowler said.
The executive went on to say that despite San Diego's poor performance he's still confident in manager Andy Green and his coaching staff.
"But in terms of the manager and coaching staff, we've got as good a group or a better group than I've seen. They're doing what they need to do. Part of it is on the players. But our job is to get the right players who can be motivated and determined at game time. Right now, we're not doing it. That's what frustrating for all of us."
And as far as the status of general manager A.J. Preller, who rolled the dice on trades for Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Craig Kimbrel, and many others last season, Fowler said the verdict isn't in.
"We had hired A.J. because we knew we had to develop a farm system and we had to do far better at international than we had done," Fowler said. "This draft coming up and the international signing period will give us a far better view of A.J.
"I don't think there is a brighter GM out there. I don't think anyone works harder. But the results are not there, and I think A.J. would be the first one to tell you that."
The Padres lost to the Seattle Mariners 16-4 on Tuesday and sit last in the National League West with a 20-33 record.