In the aftermath of Mike Shildt stepping down as the manager of the San Diego Padres, he has come forward with a startling revelation.
On Wednesday, Shildt shared that he was barraged with death threats from sports bettors during the course of the season, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic. Additionally, the stress and toll of being the manager began to wear him out.
Along the way, Shildt experienced chest pains, hair loss, and bad sleeping habits. Ultimately, the Padres lost to the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS. With that, Shildt wanted to make it clear that he gave it his all and fought through the stress.
“I don’t want people to think I checked out or wasn’t engaged or wasn’t doing my job,” Shildt said. “No, that’s not the case. I tell myself, and I have done it since day one of this job, regardless of level … I’m going bell to bell. I’m going to give it everything I got. Because I owe it to the team and the players. So, I did that.”
“But I can tell you I was sick a lot. I just wasn’t feeling good. I was run down. And I wasn’t sleeping. And it’s nobody’s fault. It’s just day-to-day stress. But, you know, just unhealthy, man, and sometimes you’ve just got to take care of you, you know?”
After losing to the Cubs, Shildt told general manager AJ Preller that he was looking to recover at home. Plus. Also, Preller said that he could tell Shildt was “worn down” towards the tail end of the season.
Who will be the next Padres manager?
Before announcing his retirement, Shildt was the manager of the Padres for two seasons. As he focused on regaining his overall health, the Padres are looking for a new manager.
On Wednesday, rumors swirled that Bruce Bochy might be the replacement for Shildt. Currently, Bochy is the manager for the San Francisco Giants and was previously the Padres manager from 1995-2006.
Additionally, at least ten other names have been floated around as potential candidates. Among them include former Angels manager Phil Nevin, Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty, and former Orioles manager Brandon Hyde.
