A.J. Preller has been named the new general manager of the San Diego Padres.
In the past decade, Preller has built himself a stellar reputation as a hardworking executive that specializes in player scouting and development. He worked with the Texas Rangers previously and has now set a new goal for the Padres -- that is, to reach the World Series.
In an article by Bleacher Report, the Padres made the announcement, "The team announced this afternoon that A.J. Preller has been named Executive Vice President/General Manager of the San Diego Padres. Lead Investor Peter Seidler, Padres Executive Chairman Ron Fowler and President and CEO Mike Dee made the announcement from Petco Park this afternoon. Preller, 37, becomes the 10th general manager in Padres history. He joins the San Diego club from the Texas Rangers, where he served as assistant general manager alongside General Manager Jon Daniels."
According to AP Sports, he shared that he found it "intriguing" that the San Diego Padres has never won the World Series, despite having spectacular players in their roster through the years. The Padres appeared in the World Series in 1984 and 1998 but lost both times. Their MLB team also comprised of a number of Hall of Famers and All-Stars. The Padres have been to the MLB playoffs only a couple of times since their 1998 World Series appearance.
In November 2004, Preller became part of the Texas Rangers, helping the team become major contenders in the league. The team managed to appear in the World Series two consecutive times, in 2010 and 2011, but lost both times.
Preller was previously the assistant general manager of the San Diego Padres before Josh Byrnes was fired in June 22. Preller said that the top executives of the team wanted to win a World Series. He said, "It's a challenge for everyone in the organization, something to look forward to.''
''You talk about it all the time: You want to play on the big stage. The big stage is not Lake Elsinore, the big stage is not for our prospects to get to El Paso, or our prospects to get to Petco. The big stage is not to get to the big leagues. The big stage is playing in the World Series, with the whole world watching," Preller added.
Preller also stated that he wanted a staff that was "cutting edge, next wave, ahead of the curve."