Albert Pujols, Nick Hundley, Ruben Niebra named finalists for Padres managerial job

Yesterday, Kevin Acy of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Padres were entering the final stages of their coaching search. In a new report today, Assey wrote that the Padres have “no more than four finalists,” with Albert Pujols, Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebra, Rangers special assistant Nick Hundley and possibly an unspecified fourth name still in the spotlight. Recruitment is expected to be completed by the end of this week.

All three known candidates will be serving as MLB managers for the first time, although all three have very different resumes. Niebla, who has 25 years of experience as a major and minor league pitching coach and coordinator in San Diego and Cleveland, was highly praised for his work during his four seasons as the Padres’ pitching coach. Pujols (one of the greatest players in baseball history) and Hundley are longtime former players who have never managed or coached in the majors or minor leagues, although Hundley does have some ties to San Diego as he served as the Padres’ catcher for seven seasons.

Since retiring, Pujols has served as the Angels’ special coach and Dominican Winter League manager, and, unless he is hired by the majors, will manage the Dominican Republic’s World Baseball Classic team this spring. Pujols was a candidate for the Orioles and Angels’ managerial vacancies this offseason, and the Halos gig seemed to be heading his way before negotiations seemed to break down at a fairly late stage.

Hundley’s post-retirement efforts include two seasons in Major League Baseball’s baseball operations department, and he has been a special assistant in the Rangers’ front office the past four seasons. The Giants approached Hundley about the managerial opening in 2023 and this fall, but Hundley declined both times due to family reasons, although this time around Hundley appears to be Buster Posey’s top choice. Despite Hundley’s objections in the past, the fact that he lives in San Diego naturally adds to the appeal of the Padres job, as coaching in his hometown would allow him to more easily balance his work life with spending time with his family.

Prior to the hiring of Mike Shildt, Niebla had received some consideration for the Padres head coaching job in 2023, but his name has not been publicly linked to any other managerial position in the sport. Although John Farrell, Bud Black, Roger Craig and Bob Lemmon are outstanding examples of former pitching coaches who have succeeded as Major League Baseball captains, it is relatively rare for a pitching coach to advance to the managerial position. One factor that could work against Niebla is that he’s so highly regarded as a pitching coach that the Padres may be more willing to keep him in that role and look for coaching elsewhere.