Lexington’s Andy Green making debut as Padres’ manager on Monday

Andy Green was hitting infield under a cloudless blue sky while chatter, laughter and music provided an upbeat soundtrack throughout the San Diego Padres’ sprawling spring training complex on a recent post-card perfect morning in the desert.

Green was in his element: teaching, leading, motivating, and having a ball with baseball.

The game has always had a special place in his heart, from his days at Lexington Christian Academy and the University of Kentucky, to his grind-it-out years in the minors, and, of course, through his four seasons in the majors, most of them with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Now it appears that Green’s playing career was merely an apprenticeship for his true calling: managing. As the new dugout boss of the Padres, he’s come a long way in a short time.

In 2012 Green was managing the Missoula (Mont.) Osprey, a bottom-rung team in the minors. On Monday, Green will make his managerial debut in the majors with the Padres when they play host to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Is he taken aback by his quick ascent?

“Sure,” he said. “When I started coaching, I didn’t have this desperate need to achieve and climb the ladder. I never politicked for a promotion or a position of influence after I hung up my spikes. I never felt I had to get this interview or get that opportunity.

“When I was at Missoula, I didn’t have any anticipation of sitting in this seat within five years. I honestly didn’t start the process with this end-game goal of being a major league manager. That’d be pretty naive. There’s only 30 of these jobs, and they typically go to people who are much more well-known than myself.”

But those who have known Green since he was a feisty 5-foot-9 infielder in high school and college aren’t surprised the Padres were won over by his passion, intelligence and ability to communicate, and made him, at 38, the second-youngest manager in the majors.

“He was born to be a leader, and I think this is going to be a good fit for him,” said his wife, Jessie, who first met Andy when they were 13-year-old freshmen at LCA.

Keith Madison, who coached Green at UK, figured that after his playing career ended, Green would transition into a front office job and eventually become a general manager.

But when Green instead got into coaching, Madison wasn’t surprised.

“Andy just loves the game and understands it, and he’s a natural leader,” Madison said. “Because he wasn’t gifted with size or exceptional ability himself, he had to figure things out. Sometimes that translates into being a good coach, being empathetic with guys with lesser ability.”

Green said it was an easy choice on his part. “The aspect of the game I enjoy most is being on the field with the guys, the interaction with them and the opportunity to hopefully give them something that shapes them not only for baseball but for life. You don’t get that opportunity when you’re in the front office.”

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis, a Paul Laurence Dunbar and Austin Peay graduate, remembers Green coordinating offseason workouts a decade ago in Lexington for local players who were in professional baseball.

“All of a sudden Andy was organizing everything — our hitting groups, when we were going to take batting practice or ground balls or throwing to bases. He just stepped up and took the lead.

“And when you get to know him on a personal level, you see the way he communicates with people, the way he talks to you on a one-to-one level, the way he commands the attention of a group of men.

“So I’m not the least surprised he is where he is, especially considering the success he’s had as a Double-A manager.”

After guiding the Missoula Osprey to a Pioneer League title in 2012, Green moved up to the Diamondbacks’ AA affiliate, the Mobile (Ala.) BayBears. He was named Southern League manager of the year in 2013 and 2014, the first back-to-back winner of that award. Green was the Diamondbacks’ third-base coach last year.

It was in Mobile that Green had the highlight of his career: He got to tell David Peralta he had been called up to the majors.

Peralta was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals as a left-handed pitcher, only to have his future derailed by two shoulder surgeries. He was released, then revived his career by becoming a sweet-swinging hitter with an independent-league team.

Peralta’s perseverance paid off when the Diamondbacks bought his contract and gave him a spot on their Class A team. He worked his way up to AA and eventually moved up to the big leagues in June 2014. He’s now Arizona’s starting right-fielder.

“Here was a guy who had been through so much, and getting to tell him he was going to the major leagues, I still get tears in my eyes sharing those moments,” Green said. “To get to play a part in that last step of his journey was something I’ll never forget.”

Perseverance is part of Green’s make-up, too, as Madison will attest.

“Once guys get to the next level, they get beat down sometimes and they don’t always bounce back,” he said. “A star player in high school all of a sudden is competing against exceptional athletes in college.

“That happened to Andy, but he never stayed down. When he’d have a bad game he’d just try that much harder. He had so much heart and determination.”

Green is thankful Madison kept faith in him.

“There were long stretches when I wasn’t producing, but he kept me in the lineup every day. There were times I wanted to quit, but you plow through those moments when it seems overwhelming and that serves you well later in life.

“If I hadn’t gone through that in college I wouldn’t have been able to persevere through the professional game.”

Green also credits his wife — they’ll celebrate their 16th anniversary this June — for keeping him on track.

“I would have never played a day in the major leagues without her,” he said. “Without a doubt I would have tucked tail and run somewhere in the minor leagues without my wife.”

Green is still learning the ropes of managing a major league team and isn’t sure what challenges await him in a marathon 162-game schedule.

But the players have already noticed a difference in the clubhouse since Green took over for Bud Black.

“There’s more intensity, more care about the game,” said first baseman Wil Myers, one of several players whom Green visited this winter to get acquainted with them. “Everything he’s done so far is great. Everybody is excited to rally behind him and get going.”

One change Green made in spring training was to have music piped throughout the complex.

“It used to be dead out here, but now it’s pretty cool to have music in the hallways, locker rooms, even the cages on the field,” Myers said. “It keeps the energy up.”

Green wants the baseball environment to be a fun environment.

“Sometimes monotony is the greatest enemy of progress,” he said. “If you don’t find a way to infuse a measure of life into the game, guys will turn their brains off, and if they do that, they don’t improve. Joy is a big part of it. Laughing is a big part of it.”

Not that Green will ever try to outdo Cubs Manager Joe Maddon, who has brought a mime, a magician and all kinds of animals to Chicago’s spring camp to keep the players entertained.

“I love what Joe does and have a great appreciation for it,” Green said. “But if I tried to be Joe Maddon, they’d laugh me out of the clubhouse. I’ve got to be myself. If there’s not authenticity, nobody wants to follow you.”

Nobody’s sure how far Green can lead the Padres this year. After spending big on free agents before the 2015 season, San Diego went 74-88 and Black was fired.

If Myers, outfielder Matt Kemp and catcher Derek Norris can carry the offense, and if James Shields, Andrew Cashner and Fernando Rodney can provide consistent pitching, maybe the Padres can make trouble for their National League West rivals.

Green is ready to find out. He said he’s not anxious about Monday’s opener, but admits he’ll “have some butterflies in my stomach.”

His wife, Jessie, will be there at Petco Park, with the couple’s daughters, Lainey, who’s 9, and twins Anna and Emily, who are 7.

“I’m not going to miss out on the fun that comes with it,” Andy said of Opening Day. “I’ll find some joy there. I’ll look around the stadium and savor a few moments before I lock in on the game.

“And I’ll thank God for the opportunity to manage a major league baseball club.”

This story was originally published April 3, 2016 at 8:00 PM with the headline "Lexington’s Andy Green making debut as Padres’ manager on Monday."