Top 50 San Diego Padres
Founded in 1969, the San Diego Padres have had their share of star players, but it has yet to result in a World Series win, though they have won the National League Pennant twice (1984 & 1998).
The team has lost far more Games than they have won but has a unique history, solid fan base, and hopefully, unlike the Chargers, are not going anywhere.
This list is up to the end of the 2023 regular season.
Note: Baseball lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.
Save for the last season of his career when he played for Oakland, Eric Show played his Major League career with the San Diego Padres, where he mainly played as a member of their rotation for a decade. Show debuted in 1981, and by 1983, Show was a fixture of the Padres starting staff. He would post back-to-back 15 Win seasons in 1983 and 1984, with the latter year seeing San Diego win the Pennant. Show remained a middle-of-the-rotation guy for San Diego until 1990, never going to the All-Star Game, but always a serviceable asset. Show would be a controversial figure…
One of the more versatile players that the Padres ever had, Phil Nevin played a bounty of Games for San Diego at Third, First, Rightfield, and at Catcher, but it looked for a while like Nevin would never become an everyday player in the Majors. Nevin was a former Number One Pick, taken by the Astros in 1992, but they soured on him, and he was traded to Detroit in 1995, and two years later to Anaheim, with neither place seeing Nevin ascend to an everyday player. The Angels sent him south to San Diego, and finally, he began to meet…
YANKEE STADIUM PREGAME TOUR
Jan 01, 1970
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PREGAME GLIMPSE OF GREATNESS
Jan 01, 1970
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CLASSIC TOUR AT YANKEE STADIUM
Jan 01, 1970
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TOURS: TRUIST PARK
Jan 01, 1970
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A World Series Champion with the Atlanta Braves in 1995, Ryan Klesko was traded to the San Diego Padres before the millennium. Klesko was a decent power hitter with the Braves, and that is what he continued as a Padre. In the first two seasons with San Diego, Klesko continued his Home Run hitting with 26 and 30 respectively, but had 23 Stolen Bases in both years, an astounding achievement considering his previous high was six. Klesko also went to his first All-Star Game that year. Klesko had another two years with over 20 Home Runs but afterward began to miss games due…
A quick look at the stats of Greg Harris does not make you think that he belongs on this list, at least this high, but that is why statisticians provide much deeper looks than just a Winning Percentage. Harris debuted for the Padres in 1988, appearing in three Games, before settling into a bullpen role in the next two seasons. Harris threw for over 110 Innings in each of those years, mainly in a set-up capacity, and he posted an ERA well under three. San Diego moved Harris back to the starting rotation in 1991, and while injuries held him to…
Garry Templeton will always be best known for being traded for fellow Shortstop Ozzie Smith. There were other players involved in the deal, but the swap of Shortstops would be the focal point, especially since Smith became a Hall of Famer. Templeton had a good career, but not in the stratosphere of Smith, and nor was he ever as good in San Diego as he was in St. Louis. A Padre for ten years, Templeton did go to an All-Star Game, and won a Silver Slugger, and collected 1,135 Hits with a .252 Batting Average. A four-year captain of the team (1987-91), Templeton’s…
An All-Star with the Red Sox in 1987, Bruce Hurst signed with the Padres as a Free Agent after the 1988 season, bringing with him a decade of experience and a proven arm. Hurst played for San Diego for a little over four years, and his output off of the mound was similar to what he gave Boston. Hurst led the National League in Complete Games (10) in 1989, winning 15 against 11 Losses, with a career-best 2.69 ERA. The southpaw continued to have good years, winning 40 Games from 1990 to 1992, and with the exception of '92, he kept his…
Joey Hamilton was a highly sought-after commodity in the 1991 Amateur Draft, and he was taken eighth in the draft by San Diego, a minor surprise as, according to Hamilton, they never showed any interest. Hamilton first made the Padres in 1994, winning nine Games with a 2.98 ERA and finishing fifth in Rookie of the Year voting. Notably, he was seventh in bWAR for Pitchers and again in 1995, despite his losing record (6-9). Hamilton received a lot more run support and won 40 Games over the next three years, even though his ERA was now over four, and his WHIP…
Heath Bell played for the New York Mets for three years before being traded to the Padres after the 2006 Season. It proved to be a fantastic opportunity for Bell, and eventually, some of the biggest shoes for a reliever to ever fill. Bell worked his way up to become Trevor Hoffman's setup man. Hoffman signed with the Brewers in 2009, and Bell was given the closer's role, and he rose to the occasion. From 2009 to 2011, Bell was one of the top Relief Pitchers in Baseball, recording at least 42 Saves, and going to the All-Star Game in all of them. He…
Debuting in 1980 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Mark Davis did not turn any heads until he was traded to the San Diego Padres during the 1987 Season (when he was with San Francisco). Davis finished the second half of that year better than he did as a Giant, but it was nothing compared to what was to come. Davis ascended to the Padres closing role, and he saved 28 Games with a 2.01 ERA in 1988 while going to the All-Star Game. He had an even better 1989, and with all respect to Trevor Hoffman, Davis had one of the best seasons…
Ozzie Smith would become one of the most dynamic Shortstops in history and an eventual Hall of Fame inductee with a St. Louis Cardinals cap on his plaque. Many forget that his career began in San Diego, and realistically, he was not yet what he would become. Smith debuted in the Majors with the Padres in 1978 and was the runner-up for the Rookie of the Year, batting .258 with 40 Stolen Bases. This was the best offensive season for Smith as a Padre, but he quickly became an elite defender. Smith won the Gold Glove in 1980 and 1981, leading the NL…
The Oakland Athletics were the team of the early 70s, but they went into a cost-cutting mode in 1976, jettisoning their stars through various methods. One of those players was Rollie Fingers, one of the most influential closers in baseball history and the owner of the most iconic mustaches in sports. Fingers signed with San Diego after the aforementioned bicentennial year and remained a top closer. A Padre for four years, Fingers was named the National League Rolaids Reliever of the Year in three of them, led the league in Saves twice, and compiled 108 Saves in total with San Diego. Fingers…
Fred McGriff had a long career in professional baseball, blasting Home Runs everywhere he went. One of those stops was in San Diego, where he was traded from Toronto before the 1991 Season. The slugger played for San Diego for two-and-a-half years, and he did what he did as a Blue Jay, in that he was an offensive juggernaut. An All-Star in 1992, McGriff led the National League in Home Runs (35), had 104 RBIs, and had an OPS of .950, a then-record for the "Crime Dog." McGriff was traded to the Atlanta Braves in July of 1993, and as a Padre,…
Dave Dravecky began his baseball career with San Diego in 1982, making the starting rotation during his rookie year. The southpaw was an All-Star as a sophomore, with a 14-10 year, and he followed that with back-to-back 2.93 ERA years and helped the Padres win the 1984 Pennant. Dravecky continued to do well, but the struggling Padres traded him to the Giants. Dravecky contracted cancer in his pitching arm, eventually resulting in its amputation. Dravecky had a 53-50 Record with a 3.12 ERA with 456 Strikeouts with the Padres.
The Hall of Fame career of Roberto Alomar began in 1988 with the San Diego Padres, and he did not take long to prove he was a star on the rise. Alomar was fifth in Rookie of the Year voting, batting .266 with 145 Hits. Improving that to 184 Hits and a .295 Average, Alomar swiped 42 bases, his high as a Padre. A good defensive player, Alomar did not win a Gold Glove but was worthy of consideration during his stay in San Diego. Alomar went to his first All-Star Game in 1990, again batting over .280, but this was his last…
Jake Cronenworth was a Tampa Bay Ray Draft Pick, but he was traded oo the Padres organization while he was still in the Minors. In looking at the transaction, Cronenworth was the steal. The Infielder debuted for San Diego, where he was the National League Rookie of the Year runner-up. Cronenworth improved as a sophomore, earning an All-Star appearance, and concluding the year with 21 Home Runs, 71 RBI, and 151 Hits. 2022 was just as good (17 HR, 88 RBI), with Cronenworth adding a second All-Star. Cronenworth missed some time in 2023, and his numbers slipped to 105 Hits…
After eight seasons, most of which with the Milwaukee Brewers, Mark Loretta signed with the San Diego Padres for the 2003 Season, and he had the best run of his career as a Padre. Loretta took over at Second Base for San Diego, and in 2003, he batted .314 with 13 Home Runs and 185 Hits, a very good year for him, but he had something better planned in 2004. An All-Star for the first time, Loretta had career-bests in Runs (108), Hits (208), Doubles (47), Home Runs (16), RBIs (76), and the Slash Line (.335/.391/495), won the Silver Slugger and…
After winning the American League Rookie of the Year, Wil Myers was part of a monster three-team trade that sent him to San Diego for the 2015 Season. Myers was not been the most consistent player since his arrival to the West Coast, but there have been flashes of brilliance. An All-Star in 2016, Myers developed his power game that year, belting 28 Home Runs that year and 30 the year after. The Centerfielder's best year to date is arguably the COVID-shortened 2020 Season, where he batted .288 with 15 Home Runs and was 16th in MVP voting. That was Myers' best time in…
Steve Finley played for eight Major League Teams, the third being San Diego. While it can be stated that Finley proved his worth as a potential All-Star as an Astro, it was with the Padres where he proved it. Finley was traded from Houston along with Ken Caminiti and many others going into 1995; he batted over .290 in his first two years, showed increased power numbers, belting 30 Home Runs in 1996, and was tenth in MVP voting. Finley made the All-Star Game for the first time in 1997, and though his 1998 numbers were weaker, Finley showed his merit. He left…
Yes, we know. Again, we know. The San Diego Padres have been in existence for over a half-century, so how can we rank a player regardless of position at all? Here is how. Kevin Brown's single season in San Diego is the greatest in franchise history and is so by far. Let’s repeat it. Yes, we know. Again, we know. The Padres have had Cy Young winners, and Brown was not one of them. Brown is also a player who only was a Padre for one year, but in terms of bWAR and other advanced metrics, he exceeds that of many…