EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The El Paso Chihuahuas introduced Phillip Wellman as their new manager in the Chihuahuas’ clubhouse at Southwest University Park on Monday.
Wellman is the seventh manager in Chihuahuas history.
“It’s exciting. It’s a long time coming. I’ve been in Double-A for the past 23 years just waiting my turn,” Wellman said. “Any time you get a chance to come to be a part of a community like this, as a native Texan, I’ve heard plenty about El Paso. I’ve heard about the stadium, front office here, and the success they’ve had in the past. It’s exciting to be a part of it now.”
This will be Wellman’s first year managing at the Triple-A level.
“It’s baseball and it’s still the minor leagues. The guys here have the same goals as the guys have in Double-A and that is to get to the big leagues,” Wellman said. “I think that’s the bottom line every day is come to the ballpark and try to figure out how you help somebody get to the big leagues.”
Spring Training will be a vital part of Wellman’s first season as manager of the El Paso Chihuahuas.
“Getting to spring training is going to be important for me just to meet some new faces,” Wellman said. “I can see a few guys that we had in San Antonio last year coming into Triple-A, but I don’t know. It’s so wide open right now.”
The San Diego Padres are expected to report to Spring Training in Peoria, Arizona this week. Due to the World Baseball Classic taking place in the March, that has changed up reports dates a bit.
Pitchers and catchers participating in the Classic will report on Feb. 13. The rest of the team’s pitchers and catchers will report two days later. Position players in the World Baseball Classic must report by Feb. 16, with non-Classic position players set to report on Feb. 20.
The Padres’ first full-squad workout will take place Feb. 21.
The Padres’ Spring Training run will start on Feb. 24 when they face off with the Seattle Mariners on Feb. .24 at Peoria Stadium.
