Former Padres Fan Favorite Defends Manny Machado Amid Questions About Leadership

Machado shouldn't get all the blame for the Padres struggles this season..

2023 hasn’t been kind to the San Diego Padres in many ways. They entered the season with high hopes of being a true contender for their first World Series trophy, but with only a few weeks left in the season, they find themselves multiple games back of a playoff spot.

It has been an incredibly frustrating season all around, but the team has started to play a little better of late. It has given them a small glimmer of hope to hold onto, as the year winds down.

However, this season has seen more issues than just on the field for the Padres. Recently a bombshell report was put out about the culture of the Padres, and how dysfunction within the organization is to blame for the problems this season.

Within the report, it named star third baseman Manny Machado as one of the main reasons for this due to his lack of engagement, and lack of ability to elevate this team when needed the most.

It was the kind of report that could easily tear a franchise apart, but one former Padre fan favorite came out in support of Machado instead. Former San Diego outfielder Will Myers, who spent eight years with the Padres including some with Machado, defended his former teammate.

I didn’t play for the padres in ‘23, but it’s unfair to headline one player for the struggles of an organization in a particular year. In my opinion, this is not an accurate representation of who I knew for 4 years.

— Wil Myers (@wilmyers) September 15, 2023

To be fair to Machado, the struggles of the Padres this season shouldn’t fall all on him. It has taken the entire team underperforming to get to this point, and it has taken a toll on the organization as a whole.

Multiple people should be blamed for what has gone on this season, and singling Machado out is just wrong. He is to blame for some of the issues, but he is only a piece of the blame pie.

It has just been a nightmare of a season for the Friars, and one that they wish they could do over. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that, and they will have to live with what has gone on this season.