PEORIA, Ariz. — The different vibe, the altered tempo of this year’s spring training is at first deceiving.
The fields at the Peoria Sports Complex are not as bustling, not as brimming with ballplayers.
If the volume of work being done in plain view during normal business hours was the only evidence, the Padres’ level of preparation might be cause for concern.
But at different times and in different places, work is getting accomplished in a concentrated manner that makes sense to the new manager, with knowledge disseminated by coaches speaking the players’ language.
“Our spring training schedule this year has been beautiful,” Fernando Tatis Jr. said. “Everything is on the spot. Our manager is surrounded by a great team of coaches that just have that type of feel.”
In years past, through several managers and staffs, there would be one or two sessions virtually every day in which the team worked together on drills. Those have not disappeared, and they will increase as the season draws closer.
But there is far more individual work being done early in the morning on the field and in the batting cage. There are more small group sessions.
“Honestly, it’s very nice because it gives all of us time to individually work, whether it’s hitting or infield stuff or sprint work,” Jake Cronenworth said. “We have the slots to all individually get better. And if we can all individually get a little bit better in spring training, inevitably the team is going to be better.”
Craig Stammen, the Padres’ first-year manager, played in the major leagues for 12 seasons. One stood out in terms of preparation.
“I guess the origination of it is going back to the COVID time when we were working out in groups of four,” Stammen said. “You just had the attention of the coaching staff, you had attention with each other, and we all saw each other get better, and that made our team better.”
To talk about what this staff is doing is not to decry what previous staffs did. Spring training drills under Mike Shildt were must-watch for their intensity, and attention to detail became a way of life under the only manager in franchise history to shepherd the Padres to consecutive 90-win seasons.
But the players are enjoying the flexibility, freedom and focus in this year’s camp.
The institution of more individual instruction is one of the subtle differences in the first spring under Stammen and a staff he had a big hand in building — arguably more of a hand than any manager has under A.J. Preller. Perhaps a sign of how aligned the two men are in philosophy on the coaches’ role of teaching and energy, this staff also appears to be the most Preller-like of any in his dozen seasons in charge of baseball operations.
And the schedule is not the only thing resonating with the players.
“I think there’s a lot of relatability,” Nick Castellanos said. “They’re not that far removed from cleats. So as far as the emotional relatability, what we go through on the daily, it’s still fresh for them. So I think there’s potential for some really good communication.”
San Diego Padres infield instructor Ryan Goins watches drills during spring training workouts at the Peoria Sports Complex on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026 in Peoria, Ariz.. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Four Padres coaches plus Stammen played in the big leagues at the same time as Castellanos, who made his major league debut in 2013.
Padres infield coach Nick Punto retired after the 2014 season. Infield instructor Ryan Goins played the last of his 555 career games in 2020. Hitting coach Steven Souza Jr.’s final big-league season was 2022, as it was for catching coach Kevin Plawecki.
No major league team has that many coaches who played their final game in 2014 or later. Just half of the 30 MLB teams have a coach who was still a player in this decade, and just four other teams have even two (counting their manager) players who were still in the league as late as 2020.
With Randy Knorr (bench) and Bob Henley (third base), the Padres have six coaches who played in the big leagues. That is tied for the sixth-most in baseball.
Plenty of good coaches played a long time ago or never made it to the major leagues. There is no way to say with certainty how effective this staff will be.
For one thing, Souza and Plawecki are, like Stammen, rookies in their roles.
But there is something about recency.
Castellanos’ assessment was Stammen’s aim.
“Relatability,” Stammen said after acknowledging the intention with which he built his staff. “Hopefully, we’re all relatable. I think when you feel like you’ve got people in the fight with you (who) understand what that fight’s about, it just breaks down some walls.”
Peoria, AZ – February 20: Hitting coach Steven Souza Jr. of the San Diego Padres looks on before a game against the Seattle Mariners on February 20, 2026 in Peoria, AZ. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A lot of the change in the game has to do with the velocity of pitches and the arsenal pitchers have. The depth and breadth of scouting reports hitters get evolves every year.
This is a nearly all-consuming notion for hitters, who now feel like their hitting coach and others on the staff are more like peers with real knowledge to offer.
Even Punto, who joined the staff last season, considers himself something of an old-timer.
“I tell them all the time how much the game has changed since I played,” the veteran of 14 MLB seasons said.
San Diego Padres infield coach Nick Punto watches Manny Machado #13 work through drills during spring training workouts at the Peoria Sports Complex on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026 in Peoria, Ariz.. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Punto’s last at-bat was Sept. 27, 2014. In none of his 224 plate appearances that season did he see a 98 mph fastball. He saw three pitches at 97 mph and 26 more at least 96 mph.
Tatis had 2½ times as many plate appearances last season as Punto did in ‘14 and saw more than 10 times as many pitches at 96 mph or faster and more than 25 times as many pitches at 98 mph or faster.
“It’s definitely more, you know, 21st-century baseball talk,” Tatis said. “We need more proactive decisions, scouting reports, details that matter in today’s game. Back in the day, you only had one guy throwing 97. Now everybody is throwing 97. And sinkers, cutters, four-seamers rising. So we need more details.”
Victor Rodriguez, under whose tutelage the Padres’ offense ranked 10th in OPS and 11th in runs scored over the past two seasons and who is now the hitting coach for the Houston Astros, played in the major leagues in the 1980s and has coached in the minors or major leagues ever since.
But his experience with seeing three different relievers in a game all throwing 99 mph and bending, vanishing sliders is theoretical.
Souza’s is experiential.
Gavin Sheets was sure to say he is grateful to Rodriguez, who helped him maintain some swing changes that contributed to Sheets’ renaissance in 2025. He also said of the young staff: “They understand what the game is like right now. They understand what the game looks like, how the game is played, the speed of the game. They understand how hard the game is.”
Sheets noted, too, that there is an edge to the younger coaches.
“I think they’re kind of in it with us,” he said. “They love the game. They miss the competitive side, and that’s what we’re hearing the most. And so it’s great to be around a staff that’s young and a staff that’s done it, and they’re in the battle with us, which is fun.”
Ruben Niebla and Craig Stammen of the San Diego Padres look on during their spring training game against Great Britain at Peoria Sports Complex on Wednesday, March 4, 2026 in Peoria, Ariz. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The energy of youth and the newness of the group — not to mention a lighter air and reinvigoration for some returning coaches, who feel freer and more heard under Stammen than Shildt — has made for fun banter during drills and live batting practice sessions. There is a purpose to the individual work. And that purpose bleeds into intensity.
“It’s like another version of the game,” Goins said of coaching. “I’m, like, super competitive, probably to a fault. I just kind of try to treat (coaching) like a game within the game. It’s my version of the game now. Instead of going out there between the lines, how can I help these guys be the most prepared?”