PEORIA, Ariz. — As the Padres prepared to hit during a spring training game Wednesday at the Peoria Sports Complex, a voice caused fill-in third base coach Mike Shildt to stop and pivot.
Angels manager Joe Maddon motioned over his former Cardinals counterpart, they hugged and some smiley chit-chat followed. Maddon, after all, sent Shildt a fancy bottle of wine and a warm note when St. Louis hired him.
Later, between innings, Shildt and home plate umpire Lance Barrett caught up on whatever one-time managers and those ruling the balls-and-strikes universe catch up on.
Shildt's fingerprints remain on the game.
"I appreciate that, especially with the kind of status Joe has in the game," Shildt said. "Joe's first class. It was good to see him. Different circumstances, clearly, but a lot of mutual respect.
"And I've always had a good relationship with umpires, so it was good to catch up."
This is Shildt's world during a dizzying, if not brief, career pivot that has caused him to be remarkably nimble at 53 as baseball regains its post-lockout wings. There was the head-scratching firing by the Cardinals, a hybrid role combining player development with the Padres and working with the MLB-run Appalachian League and an unforeseen stint at third base.
Conversations flowered when Shildt found himself in the mix to be the new manager of the Padres after the dismissal of Jayce Tingler. When Bob Melvin landed the job, GM A.J. Preller put on the full-court press to lure Shildt to the franchise.
Initial plans positioned Shildt to work behind the scenes, a steady and proven ear at the ready. Then, third base coach Matt Williams underwent hip replacement surgery.
Another pivot. Welcome back to the field.
"I went to the Triple-A game on the minor league side when I found out that, unfortunately, Matt was going to miss some time," said Shildt, who last coached third in 2017. "I did a game back there and got my feel for it. You do your preparation and get ready."
On the outside, the Cardinals dismissal stunned and confused. Shildt, the 2019 NL Manager of the Year, guided the club to its third consecutive trip to the playoffs after a three-year absence.
The team rattled off 17 consecutive victories down the stretch last season, just the 14th group since 1900 to win that many in a row according to the New York Times. The victory-spurred vapor trail, combined with plenty of help from the collapsing Padres, extinguished San Diego's nearly guaranteed postseason chances.
On the way out of St. Louis, Shildt finished third in NL Manager of the Year voting, ahead of World Series-bound Brian Snitker of the Braves and Dave Roberts of the Dodgers. Shildt stands No. 28 all time in winning percentage (.559), ahead of Hall of Famers including Bobby Cox, Sparky Anderson and Leo Durocher.
The Cardinals painted the split with as broad a brush as possible, citing "philosophical differences."
Why did things end in the middle of so much success?
"That's a good question," Shildt said. "I haven't spoken on the record since then. I guess the thing is, I feel like the windshield's bigger than the rearview mirror. And what we accomplished speaks for itself."
Steering the car to the high road in no way means scars do not remain.
"There's still some hurt there," Shildt said. "It's the organization that gave me the opportunity. That's why I'm still eternally grateful for the Cardinals. But the hurt comes from, I miss the heck out of the group of guys. I miss the staff and I miss that team.
"I can't lie to you and tell you I'm not still hurting on some levels, because I had a lot of blood, sweat and tears with that group. We felt like there was definitely some unfinished business there."
Odds remain high Shildt gets a chance to finish some things somewhere else.
Jokingly, Melvin was asked whether Shildt had complained that working the third base box was not included in his contract.
"Shoot, talk about being lucky to have a guy here of that type of quality," Melvin said. "This is probably the only year we're going to have him here because he'll be managing next year somewhere is my guess.
"It resonates with the players. … These guys understand and know who he is. To have that type of quality is quite the luxury."
Melvin's words resonated with Shildt, bone deep.
"That was very classy and that comment meant a lot to me personally, that Bob would say that," Shildt said. "This is a guy that's been in the game and is one of the best managers in our game.
"I said to A.J. (when Melvin was named manager), 'I've got to tell you this. Bob Melvin's an absolute stud.' He's one of the best managers and humans in our game. I can't say enough about him."
For now, Shildt will keep one eye on the Appalachian League, a place where he won the first consecutive championships for Johnson City (2010, '11) since Jimmy Carter was elected and "Rocky" hit theaters.
Fond memories swirl about fostering the launch points of so many young careers.
"Plus, I ate at Waffle House a lot," he said.
As he walked off the field Wednesday, calls of "Hey, we're Cardinals fans" coaxed Shildt to the fence to sign autographs. He's far from a forgotten, displaced chess piece in baseball's ever-shifting game.
"I learned a long time ago, I'm going to bloom where I'm planted," Shildt said.
These Padres roots, though, might not get the chance to run deep.
