San Diego Padres play ‘Shildtball'

Yahoo

18-04-2025

Mike Shildt | Photo byWhen Mike Shildt took over as manager of the Padres in 2024, he established communication among the veterans on the team, emphasizing a need for consistency and to build a winning culture. During the season we heard terms like 'elite adjusters'. 'winning on the margins', 'winners find solutions', and 'regardless of circumstance.'
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The first half of the season showed a team still struggling to find its identity but, after the All-Star break, their developed identity and culture kicked in and the Padres went on a 43-20 tear to finish with 93 wins and a wild card berth in the playoffs.
Going into 2025, Mike Shildt had a contract extension and the Padres had a group of players returning from 2024. The question was whether they could pick up where they left off in 2024 and not have to start over to build on the success of last season.
The first month of a baseball season is often wildly inconsistent and not necessarily a dependable preview to the rest of the season. The Padres have not usually begun well, especially in recent years. The 14-3 Padres have provided the fans with an exciting and optimistic start to the new season.
The most encouraging sign is not necessarily the record, though. It is the consistency with which they are playing their game. The continuation of the style of play that made them the best team of the second half of the 2024 season.
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Frequently referred to now as Shildtball, it consists of 'Petco Park hitting' combined with aggressive base running, paying attention to detail on offense and defense, and taking advantage of what the game gives you.
Hitting coach Victor Rodriguez coined the term, 'Petco Park hitting', when he was hired before the 2024 season. His definition in beat writer AJ Cassavell's post on MLB.com: Rodriguez came up with the moniker 'Petco Park hitting' upon being hired for the job. It's an emphasis on a line-drive oriented approach that pays dividends in a ballpark that rewards that style of hitting. The mindset has been implemented to perfection, through the entirety of the hitting group.
'Passing the baton' is another phrase you hear the players repeat frequently. It is selfless baseball, taking what you are given and letting the guy behind you follow it with what he is given. Because of this mindset, along with stellar pitching, the Padres are undefeated at home.
Despite a few pitching hiccups, they continue to play winning baseball while using all the weapons at their disposal. The game on April 11 against the Rockies was a perfect example of their approach. During the fifth inning they used singles, stolen bases, errors from the opposition, walks and a Manny Machado double to score six runs and then followed that with a Tatis Jr. home run in the sixth and a Gavin Sheets home run in the seventh inning.
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This style of baseball requires a team to have a variety of different players in the line up. Some power mixed with contact hitters as well as speed and base running skills. All of this combines with another attribute that Shildt speaks of frequently: Baseball IQ.
The mental part of the game is what he is referring to. The ability to make the right decisions under pressure, and doing it quickly, is often the difference between winning and losing at the major league level. Part of it is in the makeup of the player but it is also taught to this group during spring training. The drills done on the back fields of the Peoria Sports Complex put the players in game situations and the coaches apply the pressure so the practice is at game speed.
The .500 road record at this point in the season is not surprising given the road conditions as well as the home field advantage the Padres enjoy at Petco Park. The pitching issues on the road have already proven to be isolated events as the very same pitchers have rebounded to pitch well in their next starts. The performance of the bullpen, with its baseball best 1.51 ERA, has been the saving grace for many of the games.
It can't be overlooked that the Padres have had many good breaks go their way over these first few series but they have also created their own good luck by playing a fun and exciting style of baseball. And that style should be called Shildtball from now on.
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