Andy Green is preparing for his third season as a big-league manager, and his Padres appear to be inching closer to being a competitive big-league club.

Padres pitchers and catchers report to spring training on Wednesday with the first full-squad workout set for Feb. 20.

“I couldn’t be more excited about the direction we’re headed,” Green said a few days ago.

From the prospects who could contribute in the majors this season to young players he expects to take big steps, Green expounded on why that is.


There’s a goal for this team to be a contender within a year or two. You have said you think you’re getting closer. How so?

I think the way we’re growing a culture within the clubhouse. That’s one of the things I look at. I think we’re getting significantly closer to having that kind of culture where every day everyone is trying to get one percent better, every day everyone is pushing themselves to compete in a championship-caliber way. You’re starting to see that prevalent through the clubhouse. Honestly, when I arrived that wasn’t the thing defining the culture. … And all the talent we’ve been investing in, a lot of it is showing up in big league camp, and that’s really exciting. There is reason to believe those guys doing so well in the minor leagues that they’re going to be very impactful in the big leagues for a long time.

What do you think of the idea that 10 to 12 teams have basically forfeited the pennant, aren’t really competing for a title? How do you argue that the Padres are not one of those teams?

If you knew the level of effort and energy we put into winning every single day, no one would come close to making that claim — if you saw how hard our staff worked to find a competitive advantage, if you saw the players and how hard they work to improve, if you saw the passion in the clubhouse. … (Tanking) has never been the marching orders from above me. It has always been, ‘Go win as many games as humanly possible.’ Our goal will always be that. … Have we aligned with some of our financial resources to be brought to bear in a year or two or three? Yes, we have. We consider that to be prudent planning to bring San Diego something it hasn’t had before.


You’ve always been really good at focusing on the present while having an eye on the future. As the top prospects get closer to the majors, some probably even coming up at some point this year, how excited are you?

I have a borderline stalker-ish interest in our minor-league system. I’m cognizant of everything going on. It’s always been our goal from the beginning to build within. Gradually, we’re going to supplement one guy at a time. Last year, it was Dinelson Lamet, Carlos Asuaje, Manny Margot. This year, it could be Cal Quantrill, Eric Lauer, Joey Lucchesi, Fernando Tatis, Trey Wingenter, the list goes on and on.

This will be your third season as a manager. In what ways do you feel established? In what ways do you feel not established?

Being established is not something I spend much time thinking about. It’s what’s the next right thing to do – and go out and do it. I’m learning constantly. A big thing is providing clarity form this seat for the staff. I admitted after year one that was a weakness. I’ve always been inclined to do things myself. I got better at that. It’s still not my natural strength. … Establishing a reputation in the game, I’m not worried about that. I’m concerned with if we’re going to make everybody a better contributor.


You had two high-profile rookies in Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe plus Austin Hedges entering his first full season, all of them as starters last year. They got that first year under their belts, all of them growing in certain ways. What do you anticipate from that threesome this season?

Growth in every single area of the game. It’s easy now for those guys to realize, ‘Hey, they weren’t kidding when they talked about how important plate discipline is.’ You can murder the (Pacific Coast League), but a chase rate north of 40 percent is not a way to be successful in the major leagues. You can tell somebody that until you’re blue in the face, but they don’t have the belief and conviction until they’ve gone through it. What they realize now is ‘Andy and the staff are incredibly serious about everything. Every small detail matters.’

Talk about your latest shortstop, Freddy Galvis. Besides being younger, how is he going to be different than the recent stopgaps at that position?

He’s probably closer to the prime of his career than some of these other guys have been. Erick Aybar — Gold Glove, All-Star, awesome World Series competitor – I love the guy. He’s wired right. But he wasn’t toward the middle of his career; he was probably toward the end. Now he may end up proving me wrong. But now (in Galvis) we’re looking at somebody from a pure statistical standpoint who has caught and thrown it as consistently as anyone in the National League last year. That’s impressive. That’s something we have not had.


Speaking of shortstop, Fernando Tatis doesn’t seem too far away. When is the earliest we might see Tatis in San Diego and what sort of look will he get this spring in big-league camp?

He’s going to play in camp. He’s going to play quite a bit until we have to send him down — if we choose to send him down. I don’t anticipate him making the club out of spring, but I’m not going to limit a kid who’s very talented. But I just want to see him grow … If he has that mentality, the sky is the limit. If we feel he’s ready, I don’t feel we’re going to hold him back.

How many guys are coming in with rotation spots locked down? Three? Four? Clayton Richard? Dinelson Lamet? Luis Perdomo? Bryan Mitchell?

The way we look at it, Clayton Richard and Bryan Mitchell are the two guys coming in with a spot locked down. Lamet and Perdomo have a leg up on the other guys.


This is a unique group battling with the mix of veterans on minor-league deals (Tyson Ross, Chris Young and Jordan Lyles), guys with promise whose expected ascension has been derailed by injuries (Robbie Erlin, Colin Rea and Matt Strahm) and even your up-and-coming top prospects (Cal Quantrill, Eric Lauer, Joey Lucchesi, Jacob Nix).

We’re definitely increasing the quality of our depth. … The depth piece is definitely different there. I don’t think there is some huge difference in the guys competing from the fourth spot to the eighth spot.

What is the jump you’re expecting from Lamet and Perdomo after the experience they got last season?

Huge jumps. We’ve had this talk as a staff countless time this offseason. Our job is to get good players better faster than anybody else in baseball does. Those guys fall into that category. It’s really easy to hide behind (the fact) Lamet didn’t get (signed) until he was 22 or 23 years old and Perdomo was a Rule 5 guy. Those things are true. But the reality is they’re talented and they belong here. They have stuff that if they execute better and throw with conviction they can pitch in the middle of a rotation — and Lamet at the top of a rotation. We’ve got to make it happen faster.


The Padres have some of the brightest arms in the minor leagues. Could any of them — Quantrill, Lauer, Lucchesi, Nix — make the Opening Day roster?

It’s possible. Probable, I wouldn’t put it at that. If you’re sitting in big league camp, until your shoulder is tapped, like mine was 15 or 16 times, you’ve got a chance. It’s understanding where they are in their development. We’ve identified ways each one of those guys can profit from going to back to the minor leagues and work. … In the past, necessity has forced the arrival of a number of guys prior to when they were ready to be here. We’re not at that spot where we have to do that.

Who is your second baseman?

It’s a great question. We go into this with two guys who are wired to flat out compete in (Cory) Spangenberg and (Carlos) Asuaje. Then breathing down their neck is a kid we’re really excited about in Luis Urias. You don’t sleep on a kid who led the Texas League in on-base percentage.


How confident are you in Alex Dickerson’s health? And how much does that health figure into the competition in left field given the ascension of Jose Pirela?

I want to be so confident in it. But I am also going to be cautious with it in spring training. I sat down with Alex on (Tuesday). I said, ‘I know how you’re wired. I know you’re going to bristle at this, but I’m going to limit your workload in the spring. I don’t want to change you’re wiring, so you’re going to have to trust me about your workload.’

What would it take for Hunter Renfroe to not be the starting right fielder?

Nothing is guaranteed to Hunter Renfroe right now. … I love the raw power. I love the guy. He’s going to compete. He’s going to take a hack. He’s going to chuck a baseball. There is a refinement that still needs to occur. Once that refinement occurs, I don’t think anybody is going to stop him.


Padres spring training

Where: Peoria Sports Complex, Peoria, Ariz.

When: Pitchers and catchers report Wednesday. Rest of roster reports Feb. 19 with first full-squad workout Feb. 20.

Cactus League: First game Feb. 23 vs. Seattle. Padres then play every day except March 14 & 19 through March 25.

Season opener: March 29, 1:10 p.m. vs. Milwaukee at Petco Park.


kevin.acee@sduniontribune.com