Every sport evolves with each passing generation -- from the
size and athleticism of players to game strategy.
Baseball’s evolution, however, is both historic and unique given
the pre-integration and dead ball eras. For the former, full
segregation took place from 1887-1947. Full integration, which
was a gradual process, came in 1959. The Deadball Era was
a period in the early 20th century when baseball was
characterized by low scoring and emphasis on pitching.
There was the Steroid Era, which has no definite start time though
it is generally assumed that the era ran from the late 1980s until
the late 2000s. This era was defined by shattered home run
records leading to exorbitant salaries.
The San Diego Padres came into Major League Baseball in 1969
as an expansion team. On the surface, the franchise has minimal
history, reaching the postseason just six times. The franchise has
five National League West division titles and two National League
pennants in 1984 and 1998. Both times, the Padres lost to all-time
great teams in Major League history, the Detroit Tigers in 1984
and New York Yankees in 1998. The franchise has also had a few
Hall of Famers and some with interesting legacies.
Today, I formed a Padres Dream Team in a 26-man roster format.
For openers, to make this roster, four years as a Padre are
required. No exceptions. With the free agency era, I’m not going
to cheapen this roster with 1-3 year rentals.
I’m forming a 12 man pitching staff, five starters and seven relievers.
For the latter, I want at least one lefthander in the bullpen. For
position players, I am taking what I believe is the best of the best
regardless of era. For the bench players, it’s the best of the rest
with versatility being heavily considered. Merit achievements such
as Hall of Fame, All Star appearances and Gold Gloves are
considered but not guaranteed. General impactfulness on the
franchise is also considered.
Generational reminders
If you played on a playoff team, there is no guarantee of landing on
this roster. If you played during a bad season, that does not deter
you from being on this roster. Off the field baggage is not a deterrent
to landing on this team, nor is any Steroid Era affiliation. This is
baseball, not the Boys Scouts.
Starting pitchers
Jake Peavy, Andy Ashby, Andy Benes, Randy Jones, Bruce
Hurst
Peavy pitched eight seasons with the Padres and is the
franchise's all time leader in career strikeouts. Two of his three
All-Star appearances came in a Padres uniform. His best season
was 2007 when he won the National League Cy Young Award,
Triple Crown and led the National League in wins, strikeouts and
ERA. Ashby played seven seasons with the Padres and was an
All-Star in back-to-back seasons. He also played a significant
role in two division championships, including the 1998 season
in which the Padres reached the World Series. Benes is one of
two pitchers in franchise history, along with Peavy to record
1,000 career strikeouts in a Padres uniform. Benes pitched seven
seasons with the Padres. He was an All-Star in 1993 and led the
National League in strikeouts in 1994.
Jones has a perplexing legacy in that he is the only pitcher in
Major League history to retire with a Cy Young Award but also
have a losing record. Jones, however, had a productive career
with the Padres in eight seasons. He was a two-time All-Star
and 1976 Cy Young Award winner. He led the Major League in
wins that season. In 1975, he led the National League in an era.
Hurst is known mainly for his time with the Boston Red Sox.
Hurst was not overpowering but had five highly productive
seasons with the Padres. In Hurst’s four full seasons, he made
at least 31 starts and exceeded 200 Innings before being traded
to Colorado.
Bullpen
Closer -- Trevor Hoffman
Heath Bell, Goose Gossage, Mark Davis, Rollie Fingers, Kirby
Yates, Craig Lefferts
The Padres have had their share of accomplished closers in
franchise history but Hoffman laps the field. Hoffman and New
York Yankees’ legend Mariano Rivera are one of only two
pitchers to eclipse both the 500 and 600 save plateaus. Hoffman
came into the league as a hard-throwing right-hander but
eventually reinvented himself with a devastating slider and
changeup. Hoffman was a seven-time All-Star and two-time
National League saves leader on the way to a Hall of Fame
career. Hoffman's the most recognizable Padre not named Tony
Gwynn. Bell was only a Padre for five seasons but in that span
was a three-time All-Star and 2009 National League saves
leader. Gossage spent four seasons of his Hall of Fame career
with the Padres. He was an All-Star in two of them and was a
vital piece in the 1984 National League pennant winning team.
That season, Gossage finished fifth in the National League Cy
Young voting. Davis spent parts of five seasons with the Padres
and was an All-Star in two of them. The 1989 campaign was his
banner season as he won the National League Cy Young
Award and led the league in saves.
Fingers spent four seasons of his Hall of Fame career with the
Padres. He was an All-Star in 1978 and had an ERA of under
3.00 and three of his four campaigns in San Diego. Yates' 2020
season was cut short by injury but the best of his four Seasons
with the Padres was 2019. That season he led the National
League in saves. Lefferts spent part of seven years with the
Padres, fashioning a 3.24 ERA and was a critical piece in the
Padres 1984 National League pennant winning team.
Infield
Catcher -- Benito Santiago, First base -- Adrian Gonzalez,
Second base -- Bip Roberts, Third base -- Ken Caminiti,
Shortstop -- Garry Templeton
Santiago was a no-brainer for a choice at catcher. Santiago
spent seven years with a franchise and was an All-Star in
three of those years. He made an immediate impact and won
National League Rookie of the Year in 1987. That season,
Santiago had a 34-game hitting streak. Santiago's strength,
however, was defense winning three consecutive Gold
Gloves and boasting the premier throwing arm in baseball.
Gonzalez played just five seasons with the Padres but was
an All-Star in three of them and a Gold Glove Award winner
in two. Though the 2010 Padres ultimately lost a National
League West division to San Francisco, Gonzales was a key
part of the playoff push and was fourth and National League
MVP voting. At second base, Roberto Alomar and Mark
Loretta missed the cut because they only spent three seasons
with the Padres, clearing the way for Roberts. He played parts
of seven seasons with the Padres and though he never
appeared in an All-Star Game, Roberts was versatile and stole
148 bases in a Padre uniform. During his time in San Diego,
Roberts had a .361 on-base percentage and .298 batting
average.
Caminiti tragically lost his life in 2004 because of substance
abuse but his four seasons in San Diego were undeniably
impactful. Caminiti is the only player in franchise history to
capture National League MVP honors. Two of his three All-Star
appearances and all three of his Gold Glove awards were in a
Padres uniform. Caminiti was also a vital cog in the Padres
reaching the World Series in 1998. Even though Templeton
made just one All-Star appearance and his 10 seasons as
a Padre, he was a very steady and consistent performer
along with being a critical piece in the 1984 National League
pennant winning team. Templeton leads the franchise among
shortstops in runs scored, hits, RBIs and games played.
Outfield
Leftfield -- Gene Richards, Centerfield -- Steve Finley,
Rightfield --Tony Gwynn
Richards never garnered an All-Star appearance but had
seven impactful seasons. He finished third in National League
Rookie of the Year voting, stealing 56 bases that season.
Richards is in the franchise’s top five in batting average, runs
scored and stolen bases. Finley was a Padre for only four
seasons but was an All-Star in one of them and Gold Glover
in two others. He also played a significant role in two division
winning championship teams, including the 1998 National
League pennant winner. His 82 home runs as a Padre ranked
first in franchise history among those who primarily played
centerfield. There is not a more beloved player in franchise
history than Gwynn. His .338 batting average is the highest in
Major League history since Ted Williams and his eight batting
titles are the most for a hitter in the last 100 years with only
Ty Cobb having more. Gwynn spent all 20 of his Hall of Fame
seasons with the Padres. He was a 15-time All-Star, seven-
time Silver Slugger Award and five-time Gold Glove Award
winner.
Bench
Terry Kennedy, Nate Colbert, Phil Nevin, Ozzie Smith, Dave
Winfield, Carmelo Martinez
Kennedy played for the Padres for six seasons, three of which
were all star campaigns. Kennedy was a significant figure in
the Padres 1984 National League pennant winning season.
He was a solid defensive catcher and in 1982, he tied the
National League record with 40 doubles in a season by a
catcher. Johnny Bench previously held that record and Ivan
Rodriguez has since broken it. Colbert was an original Padre
and the franchise's first star. While the Padres struggled
mightily during the first six seasons as a franchise, Colbert
was a three-time All-Star in his six seasons. Nevin played
primarily first base but also some at third base as well. In his
six seasons of Padre, he hit 156 home runs and was an
All-Star in 2001.
The vast majority of Smith’s Hall of Fame career was spent
as a St. Louis Cardinal but his first four were as a Padre. While
in San Diego, Smith made one All-Star appearance and two
Gold Gloves. Other than Gwynn and Hoffman, Winfield is the
most recognizable player in franchise history. Winfield spent
eight seasons with the Padres with four of them being All Star
seasons and two as a Gold Glove Award winner. Winfield
was the National League RBI leader in 1979. Martinez's
versatility of playing left field and first base helps his cause
making this team. He played six seasons with the franchise
and was a key contributor in the 1984 National League
pennant winning season. Martinez was also a contender
for National League Rookie of the Year in 1984.
Manager
Bruce Bochy
On the national front, Bochy is best known for guiding the
San Francisco Giants to three World Series titles in five years.
Bochy, however, guided the Padres to 951 career regular-
season wins, easily the most in franchise history. Bochy
guided the Padres to four National League West Division
titles in 12 seasons. He also led the Padres to the National
League pennant in 1998. Bochy earned Manager of the
Year honors in 1996.
Team
1984
In a sense, the two Padres National League pennant winning
teams of 1984 and 1998 are similar in that they lost in the
World Series in dominant fashion to two all-time great teams,
the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees respectively. The
1984 team, however gets a slight nod because it was the
franchise’s first postseason appearance and there were
rumors of the team moving to Washington DC before the
season started. The Padres started the season 18-11 before
losing seven games in a row. Despite having nary a hitter that
had more than 100 RBIs and only two players with more than
20 home runs, the Padres went 92-70 in the regular-season
to win the National League West. In the NLCS, the Padres
were underdogs to the Chicago Cubs but rallied from an 0-2
deficit to pull off a 3-2 upset.
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