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…

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…

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…

A star in the Korean League where he showcased power and defense, Ha-Seong Kim entered the International Portal and signed with the San Diego Padres in 2021 where he played four seasons. Kim’s infield versatility was valuable to San Diego, and he would win a Gold Glove in 2023.  With solid defensive metrics, Kim produced at the plate for the Padres with 418 Hits and 47 Home Runs, and his overall play in 2023 gained him a 14th place finish in NL MVP voting.

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.

A second-generation MLB player and All-Ivy League player at Princeton, Will Venable played the first seven-and-a-half years of his nine-year career with the Padres.  The Outfielder first earned a spot with the parent club in 2008, three years after he was drafted, but it would take until 2012 for him to gain his first 100 Hit year.  Venable only did that one more time, 2013, where he had career-highs in Hits (129), Home Runs (22), and Batting Average (.268), and realistically he was the fourth Outfielder as a Padre, but he brought the team depth in an important role for years.…

Blake Snell won the American League Cy Young Award in 2018 while playing for the Tampa Bay Rays. The San Diego Padres acquired him before the 2021 season, hoping to see the same level of performance from the left-handed pitcher. However, Snell's first year with the Padres was not as impressive as expected, as he had an ERA over four, but he did manage to strike out 170 batters.  In 2022, he showed some improvement (8-10, 3.38 ERA, 171 SO), but still fell short of expectations. However, Snell bounced back in 2023 and joined the exclusive club of pitchers who…

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,…

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…