The San Diego Padres just landed one former All-Star, and they’re hoping that will help their other All-Star transition into a role in which he will be more comfortable.
The team held an introductory press conference at camp on Tuesday for first baseman Eric Hosmer, who just signed an eight-year, $144 million contract with them. At the conference, Padres co-owner Ron Fowler praised Hosmer’s leadership ability but made some interesting comments about that of Wil Myers.
“We’re hoping Eric is that guy,” said Fowler, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN. “Myers has a lot of great qualities, but he frankly does not want to be the leader in the clubhouse. That’s just not in his DNA. If there was a player who was more positive about us going after Eric than Myers, I don’t know who it would be.
“Eric will protect him in the lineup, first of all,” Fowler added. “And he’ll take more of a leadership position, which is more natural for him in the clubhouse than it was for Myers.”
The 27-year-old Myers, who has been a Padre since 2015, has easily been their most productive hitter in recent seasons. He also inked a six-year, $80 million extension with them last offseason. But Myers has failed to generate much excitement, and the team has yet to reach the 75-win mark since he arrived.
Meanwhile, the arrival of Hosmer, who will push Myers from first base to the outfield, has already led to a lot of enthusiasm in San Diego. Keep in mind that the Padres are a young, rebuilding team that has not really had a true face of the franchise recently. That may help explain why they went so hard after Hosmer, who can provide them with attributes Fowler says that Myers cannot.
And while Myers may not be the leader Hosmer is, you have to wonder whether he will take offense to Fowler publicly saying those things. After all, Fowler has shown in the past that he doesn’t exactly have the most tact when talking about the team’s players.
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