Sports News
San Diego, CA–The San Diego Padres Friday announced the additions of former Major League players Robby Hammock and Nick Punto to Manager Mike Shildt’s coaching staff for the 2025 campaign.
Hammock, 47, returns to the Padres organization as Major League field coordinator after managing in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system from 2023-24. Hammock served as bench coach for Triple-A El Paso in 2022 before managing for High-A Greensboro in 2023 and Double-A Altoona in 2024. The Macon, Ga. native began his coaching career with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2012, serving as a manager in their minor league system along with various player development roles up until 2016. From 2017-21, he served as the Diamondbacks Major League quality control and catching coach. Across parts of six Major League seasons for the D-backs, Hammock appeared in 182 games and made 83 starts at catcher, accumulating a career .996 fielding percentage (3 errors, 760 total chances) behind the dish. He also made 23 appearances in left field, 21 at third base, 14 in right field, and two at first base. He was a career .254 hitter (122-for-481) with 30 doubles, four triples, 12 home runs, 48 RBI, and 62 runs scored.
Punto, 47, joins the Padres as a Major League coach for his professional coaching debut after playing parts of 14 seasons between the Philadelphia Phillies (2001-03), Minnesota Twins (2004-10), St. Louis Cardinals (2011), Boston Red Sox (2012), Los Angeles Dodgers (2012-13) and Oakland Athletics (2014), highlighted by a World Series title with St. Louis in 2011. The San Diego, Calif. native was a career .245 hitter (798-for-3253) with 141 doubles, 27 triples, 19 home runs, 263 RBI, and 421 runs scored across 1,163 games played. The switch-hitting utility player owned a career .978 fielding percentage (84 errors, 3,817 total chances), making 408 appearances at second base, 360 at third base, 337 at shortstop, nine in center field, five at first base, two in right field and one in left field. Punto also played for Team Italy in the 2009 and 2013 World Baseball Classics, batting .421 (8-for-19) in five games in 2013. Punto has been coaching at Santa Margarita Catholic High School since 2023 and will manage MLB’s Prospect Development Pipeline League in 2021.
