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Mark McGwire named Padres bench coach

By Josh Wilson

Apr 10, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire looks on prior to the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire looks on prior to the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former home run champion Mark McGwire has been hired as a San Diego Padres bench coach following being a Los Angeles Dodgers hitting coach.

Mark McGwire, despite admitting to using steroids when he broke the MLB’s home run record in 1998, has yet to come even remotely close to leaving Major League Baseball. McGwire has recently left his job as hitting coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but has picked up new employment with the San Diego Padres as a bench coach.

McGwire was a dominant MLB player back in his day, breaking MLB’s single-season home run record. McGwire was adamant that the drugs didn’t help him enough so that he wouldn’t have been able to achieve that without them.

McGwire spent 16 years in the MLB for the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. His 70 home runs in 1998 was the highlight of his career, but that only scratches the surface to the depth of his career stats. Three times he had at least 50 home runs, and seven times he had over 100 RBI throughout the course of a season. McGwire appeared in 12 All Star games, and was Rookie of the Year for the American League in 1987.

Despite carrying a slightly tarnished reputation because of his confession with PEDs, the Padres can certainly still use a player like McGwire to lead their dugout, and help get the team going in the right direction.

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