Bold headline, clear details, and a touch of controversy: the Padres lock in a largely familiar coaching cadre for 2026, with Craig Stammen’s new leadership taking shape around a core of veteran staffers while introducing a few notable fresh faces.
The Padres completed their 2026 coaching staff on Wednesday, confirming that Steven Souza Jr. will serve as hitting coach and Randy Knorr will step into the bench coach role under manager Craig Stammen. Pitching coach Ruben Niebla remains on the staff, having earned a promotion to associate manager while continuing his pitching duties. This arrangement preserves important continuity even after the managerial change that brought Stammen to the helm last month.
Full staff, highlighting continuity and changes:
- Ruben Niebla: pitching coach / associate manager
- Randy Knorr: bench coach
- Steven Souza Jr.: hitting coach
- Ben Fritz: bullpen coach
- Bob Henley: third base coach
- David Macias: first base coach, outfield and baserunning instructor
- Mike McCoy: assistant hitting coach
- Pat O’Sullivan: assistant hitting coach
- Raul Padron: hitting instructor
- Vinny Lopez: field coordinator, outfield and baserunning instructor
- Nick Punto: infield coach
- Ryan Goins: infield instructor
- Kevin Plawecki: catching coach
- Peter Summerville: game planning and pitching strategist
- Heberto Andrade: bullpen catcher and coaching assistant
- Chris Apecechea: coaching assistant, pitching
- Allen Craig: special assistant, Major League staff and baseball operations
- A.J. Ellis: special assistant, Major League staff and baseball operations
Despite the exit of manager Mike Shildt, the Padres’ 2026 coaching roster leans heavily on familiar faces, particularly in pitching roles, signaling a strategy that values established workflows and trust built over prior seasons.
Several staffers who remain in familiar territories also help anchor the transition. Knorr, a two-decade veteran of the Nationals’ coaching ranks, arrives as bench coach and shares a longstanding professional bond with Stammen, who began his pitching career in Washington. Souza steps into the hitting coach chair after Victor Rodríguez departed for Houston; while Souza’s coaching résumé is shorter, his recent professional experiences, including a year with the Rays as a special assistant, should ease the transition. He also has a shared history with Padres personnel via a multi-team trade that brought Wil Myers to San Diego—one of A.J. Preller’s early blockbuster moves as GM.
Other longtime staffers returning in largely unchanged roles include Niebla, Fritz, Macias, McCoy, O’Sullivan, Punto, Summerville, Andrade, and Apacechea, along with Stammen’s own previous dual role alongside Craig and Ellis last season. This continuity should help the Padres maintain stability as they implement Stammen’s vision.
Newcomers and shifts to note: Henley, who previously coached with the Nationals, steps in as third base coach, replacing Tim Leifer. Goins joins after two seasons with the Angels and a midseason promotion to interim bench coach; he will co-lead infield instruction with Punto. Plawecki, who finished his playing career in El Paso in 2024 before joining the Padres’ Minor League system as an instructor, now serves as the team’s catching coach at the big-league level.
But here’s where it gets controversial: with such a strong emphasis on continuity, how will the Padres balance familiarity with the need for fresh ideas at the plate and on the infield? Will Souza’s relative coaching inexperience hinder or help the Padres’ offensive development? And is bringing in Goins and Henley enough to inject the necessary energy into the infield and third base strategy? Share your take in the comments: do you prefer a steady hand with proven results, or a bolder shake-up to spark new solutions?
