The Padres are firing hitting coach Matt Stairs and infield coach Josh Johnson.
In 2018 the Padres were 13th in the National League in runs scored, 13th in slugging, 13th in OPS, 12th in OPS+ and dead last in on-base percentage.
That’s not good, but it’s also worth noting that Stairs was the ninth hitting coach the perpetually-punchless Padres have had in the 15 seasons they’ve played in Petco Park. Hitting coaches are often the fall guy when a team doesn’t perform offensively, but at some point -- and I’d say after hitting coach seven or eight maybe -- perhaps someone should acknowledge that the club (a) plays in a challenging hitter’s environment; and (b) has not always had great offensive talent and that, maybe, it’s not the hitting coach’s fault.
Beyond stairs and Johnson, it appears that the Padres coaching staff will remain intact.
