SAN DIEGO -- Craig Stammen is back at Nationals Park this weekend. It’s where he made his debut. It’s where he established himself in the big leagues. It’s where he spent the first seven seasons of his career.
Now, he’s readying for a new Nats Park first: He’ll be the opposing manager.
“It’s a series that a few of us on the coaching staff have circled for a while,” said Stammen, whose staff is littered with former Nationals coaches and players. “And we’re excited to go back to a place that we considered home for a long time. … A lot of good memories. So it’ll be good to go back.”
Stammen is two months into his tenure as Padres manager. It hasn’t been perfect. But for a first-time manager without any prior coaching experience, it’s gone about as well as you could’ve reasonably hoped.
With two months worth of information, here’s what we’ve learned about Stammen’s tactical preferences:
1. He’s a lineup shuffler
I don’t think Stammen wants to be moving the pieces around in his lineup this much. That’s a product of the Padres’ overall offensive struggles.
But it was clear from Day 1 that Stammen would regularly make changes to his lineup -- and not minor changes either. He’s moved Fernando Tatis Jr. around the top five spots in his order. He’s shuffled extensively at the leadoff spot. Perhaps the only player in the lineup with a steady place has been Manny Machado.
It’s a stark departure from Stammen’s predecessor Mike Shildt, who largely stuck to a set lineup no matter what. And another stark departure from Shildt …
2. Philosophically, he wants offense over defense
Tatis is the Padres’ everyday second baseman. That should tell you what you need to know about Stammen’s overall philosophy.
And, again, maybe this would be different if the Padres were mashing. But they aren’t. From there, there are two schools of thought: They could go all-in on run prevention. Or they could sacrifice some run prevention to try and score.
Stammen favors the latter. Here’s what he had to say earlier this month, on the night a Nick Castellanos misplay in right field proved costly, while his Platinum Glove right fielder stood at second base:
“We’re trying to score runs,” he said. “You want to play offense early, get ahead, then you can put your defense in late. That’s kind of the way I look at it. You just can’t have both at all times.”
You can’t. And it’s abundantly clear which one Stammen is prioritizing.
3. He’ll manage by the book … most of the time
Stammen has mostly stuck to matchups and convention when it comes to his approach to bullpen usage. But there have been a couple moments this season -- typically in big spots -- where he’ll trust his gut instead.
Take the Dodgers series last week: A one-run game, Shohei Ohtani due up, a runner aboard, Jason Adam on the mound. Stammen had the lefty Adrian Morejon ready for Ohtani. But he liked the way Adam was throwing. He stuck with Adam, defying conventional wisdom, and Adam kept L.A. off the board (albeit after allowing a single to Ohtani).
Stammen is quick to point out that when he says he’s going with his gut, that’s an informed decision. (Adam’s velocity had ticked up. The righty-hitting Mookie Betts was on deck. Adam wasn’t a terrible matchup for Ohtani.) But Stammen seems to have found a balance between relying on the book most of the time, while leaving enough room to improvise.
4. He trusts his guys
When Stammen’s decisions have gone south -- I hesitate to call them “mistakes” because sometimes the decision itself was correct, and sometimes it wasn’t -- there’s been a common refrain. He’s trusted -- or over-trusted -- his players.
There have been multiple occasions this season where Stammen did not pinch-hit in an obvious pinch-hitting spot. Sometimes, it’s worked. Other times, it hasn’t. The same theory holds true for his bullpen usage. Stammen has rarely been a batter early with a hook. But there are multiple instances where he was perhaps a batter late.
On that front, however, Stammen has clearly learned from some early mistakes. He’s adapted and seems to have found a groove with his ‘pen usage. Which also says something important about Stammen’s managerial style: He’s willing to learn and adjust.
5. He strongly values rest for his regulars
The Padres’ best starting lineup does not have Miguel Andujar at third base. Or Bryce Johnson in center. Or Sung-Mun Song at short.
But the Padres don’t need their best starting lineup in May. They need their best starting lineup fresh in September and October. Did they have that last year? It would be hard to argue they did.
As such, Stammen has emphasized rest for his regulars -- even his superstars. Machado didn’t get a day off until mid-September last year. This year, he got his first day off in mid-April and has already spent four days at DH. Xander Bogaerts, Jackson Merrill and Tatis have all received regular days off, too.
It helps that the Padres have a much stronger bench this season than they did at this point a year ago. It also helps that Stammen has been willing to use it.