The 24 best players in San Diego Padres history

A historical conversation about the San Diego Padres simply cannot begin anywhere other than with Tony Gwynn, who served as the face of the franchise for two decades and holds virtually every club record aside from home runs. A native of southern California, Gwynn attended San Diego State University and was selected by the Padres in the third round of the 1981 draft. He made his debut the following season and within just a few short years had already established himself as the premier all-around hitter in baseball. Gwynn's resume essentially speaks for itself. He finished his career with a .338/.388/.459 slash line and 763 extra-base hits. He won an incredible eight batting titles, made 15 All-Star teams, took home seven Silver Slugger awards and even earned five Gold Gloves. Gwynn led the National League in hits seven times on his way to a lofty career total of 3,141 — the 20th highest total in MLB history. Gwynn was easily elected to the Hall of Fame in 2007, and the Padres retired his number 19 in 2004. 

The Padres picked outfielder Dave Winfield No. 4 overall in the 1973 draft coming out of the University of Minnesota, and the team brought him to the big leagues that same summer. In the eight years the big right-handed slugger called San Diego home, he slashed .284/.357/.464 with 154 homers and 626 RBI. He represented the Padres in four All-Star Games and earned two Gold Gloves while with the team, before leaving to join the Yankees as a free agent in 1981. Winfield was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001 and wears a Padres hat in his plaque. San Diego retired his number 31 in 2001. 

Right-hander Jake Peavy debuted for the Padres as a 21-year-old in 2002, and in just his second full big-league season delivered the best ERA in the major leagues. Peavy would start 212 games in a San Diego uniform, pitching to a 3.29 ERA across 1,342.2 innings and striking out 1,348 hitters. The Mobile, Alabama native represented the Friars in two All-Star Games and took home a second ERA title in 2007. That '07 season proved to be the highlight of Peavy's career, as he ended up winning the pitching Triple Crown and walking away with his first and only Cy Young award that year. 

While former Yankee Mariano Rivera is unanimously considered the best closer in MLB history, longtime Padres stopper Trevor Hoffman is a close second. The righty pitched for San Diego for 16 seasons, working to the tune of a 2.76 ERA in 952.1 innings, and converting 552 saves. Hoffman was an All-Star seven times and earned two Rolaids Relief awards. He would finish his career in Milwaukee with whom he pushed his career save total to 601 — just 51 behind Rivera for the most all time. He was inducted into Cooperstown in 2018 and the Padres retired his number 51 in 2011. 

Crowder College product Andy Ashby was the player to be named later in a 1993 trade with Colorado, and the Rockies certainly ended up regretting dealing him to a division rival. In parts of eight seasons in San Diego, Ashby pitched to a 3.59 ERA in 1,212 innings while twice qualifying for the All-Star team. He was never really considered an ace, but Ashby was consistently a solid member of the Padres' rotation, and gave the club over 200 innings three years in a row from '97-'99. 

By the time Manny Machado's career is over, there is every chance he will hold every San Diego Padres record. The club lured the superstar third baseman to southern California as a free agent in 2019, and he's been simply phenomenal in his five years with the team. In 657 games, Machado has slashed .275/.345/.495 with 138 homers, 431 RBI, and 122 doubles. He's made two All-Star teams and won a Silver Slugger in San Diego and led the Friars to the NLCS in October 2022. After expressing a willingness to exercise the opt-out in his contract following the '23 campaign, the Padres made that a moot point by locking him up with a massive eleven-year extension that will keep him in San Diego likely for the duration of his career. 

Adrian Gonzalez grew up in San Diego and instantly became a fan favorite in his hometown when the Padres acquired him in a January 2006 trade. Of course, it helped that the left-handed slugger was the most prolific offensive first baseman in club history. During his five seasons with the Friars, Gonzalez slashed .288/.374/.514 with 161 home runs — just two shy of Nate Colbert's franchise high. He drove in 501 runs for the Padres, doubled 176 times, and represented the organization in three All-Star games. Not just a one-dimensional player, Gonzalez also won back-to-back Gold Glove awards in '08 and '09, and San Diego fans were crushed when the team dealt him to Boston during the 2010 winter meetings.

San Diego selected righty Andy Benes with the first overall pick in the 1988 draft, and while he was a serviceable member of the club's starting rotation for seven years, the Padres understandably expected more after selecting him so high. In 187 outings for Friars, Benes pitched to a 3.57 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP, while striking out 1,036 hitters in 1,235 innings. He qualified for one All-Star Game while with the Padres before being dealt to Seattle at the 1995 trade deadline. 

Catcher Gene Tenace was the catcher for three Oakland Athletics World Series winners before leaving the Bay Area to head south and join the Padres in 1977, and at the time San Diego was thrilled to add a player with such a winning pedigree. The Russellton, PA native played four seasons for the Padres, slashing .237/.403/.422 with 150 extra-base hits. The high OBP was a direct result of his propensity to draw walks, as he actually led baseball in earning free passes in 1977.  

Southpaw Randy Jones was the Padres' fifth-round pick in 1972 coming out of Chapman University and would go on to become one of the most successful starting pitchers in club history. In 264 outings for San Diego, Jones won 92 games with a 3.30 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He won the ERA title in '75 when he finished second in the NL Cy Young voting, and the following year did win the Cy Young when he led the league with 22 wins, 25 complete games, and 315.1 innings. He represented San Diego in two All-Star games and had his number 35 retired by the organization in 1997. 

Left-handed swinging Gene Richards played seven of his eight big-league seasons with the Padres and was known in his era as one of the premier base stealers in the game. During his time in San Diego, Richards slashed .291/.357/.387 and stole 242 bases. He also added 123 doubles, 63 triples, drove in 251 runs, and played strong outfield defense. At the time of his retirement, Richards was the Padres' all-time leader in both triples and steals, before being passed by Tony Gwynn in both categories.

Supremely talented Fernando Tatis Jr. has obviously dealt with significant adversity during the early part of his career, but it's hard to deny that between the lines he's simply one of the very best players in the entire sport. The second generation big leaguer burst onto the scene midway through the 2019 season and was an instant sensation, slashing .317/.379/.590 and clubbing 22 home runs in only 334 at-bats. He followed that up with a terrific COVID shortened 2020 campaign, and then in '21 led the National League with 42 home runs. It was there that the trouble started. Tatis was involved in a motor cycle accident that kept him out for part of 2022, and then during his rehab he tested positive for PED's, earning himself a lengthy suspension. He did return last year and play well, hitting 25 homers and driving in 78 runs in 141 games, and moving forward the Padres need him to be productive and most importantly available. 

Switch-hitting third baseman Chase Headley broke into the big leagues with the Padres back in 2007 and developed into a core player for the organization. During his San Diego tenure, Headley slashed .263/.344/.405 with 287 extra-base hits and 405 RBI. He was never better than in 2012 when he hit .286 with 31 homers and drove in an NL-high 115 runs, yet somehow didn't make the All-Star team. Headley did win both a Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove that season, and while he spent several seasons in the Bronx after leaving San Diego, it was cool to see him return in '18 and finish his career where it began. 

Phil Nevin was little more than a role player in Houston, Detroit and Anaheim, but became much more than that when he arrived in San Diego ahead of the '99 campaign. The Padres gave the right-handed slugger a chance to play every day and he rewarded them, hitting 24 homers and driving in 85 runs in his first season with the team. Between 2000 and 2001 Nevin would go on to blast 72 long balls and drive in 233 runs, while hitting over .300 in each year and earning an All-Star nod in '01. Injuries derailed him a little bit after that, but he still gave San Diego a third 100+ RBI season in '04 before moving on to the Rangers. 

Ken Caminiti was really not in San Diego for very long, but in just four seasons became a fairly polarizing figure in Padres history. The gritty, switch-hitting third baseman slashed .295/.384/.540 with 121 homers and 396 RBI in San Diego, headlined by his NL MVP season in 1996. Caminiti represented the Padres in a pair of All-Star games, won three Gold Gloves awards, earned a Silver Slugger, and was a key piece of San Diego's National League pennant-winning team in '98. 

When outfielder Brian Giles got to San Diego in 2003, he was already 32 years old, and while he was a productive piece for them, the Padres didn't realize his best days were already behind him. Giles had been one of the most productive hitters in the National League while with the Pirates, and in a four-year span between '99-'02 had crushed 149 homers and driven in 436 runs. He'd played in multiple All-Star games and been an MVP candidate, and that just wasn't the player the Padres got at the end of his career. In the six and a half seasons Giles spent in San Diego he slashed .279/.380/.435 with 297 extra-base hits and 415 RBI. 

Slugging first baseman Nate Colbert was only in San Diego for six seasons but still blasted more home runs than anyone in Padres' franchise history — though, to be fair, Manny Machado will probably pass him as early as 2024. In 866 games with the Friars, Colbert slashed .253/.331/.469 with 163 home runs, 481 RBI and 130 doubles. He represented the organization in three straight All-Star games from '71-'73 and finished eighth in NL MVP voting in 1972. 

Terry Kennedy was a backup catcher in St. Louis early in his career, and getting traded to San Diego proved to be one of the best things that could've happened to him. With the Padres, Kennedy blossomed into one of the better offensive catchers in baseball, driving in 97 runs in '82 and 98 in '83 in his first two campaigns where he played in more than 101 games. Kennedy represented the Padres in three All-Star games, won a Silver Slugger, and finished 10th in the 1983 National League MVP voting. He played for both the Orioles and the Giants after leaving southern California, but the best days of his career easily came in a Padres uniform. 

Righty Eric Show is one of the real success stories in the history of the Padres scouting and player development departments, as after being selected in the 18th round of the 1978 draft he'd go on to become a valuable member of the team's pitching staff for a decade. In 309 outings for San Diego, Show pitched to a 3.59 ERA across 1,603.1 innings, while turning in a 1.28 WHIP. The Riverside, California native gave the Padres over 200 innings five different times before heading north to finish his career with Oakland in 1991. 

Johnson City, Tennessee native Ed Whitson had two different stints in San Diego, and was a useful pitcher for the club both times. In 227 games for the Friars, the right-hander posted a 3.69 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP, while striking out 767 hitters in 1,354.1 innings. He never made the All-Star team as a member of the Padres but did contribute over 200 innings for the team in four straight seasons from '87-'90. He did, however, have the unfortunate distinction of allowing the most home runs in the National League in 1987 when he served up 36 long balls. 

Left-handed swinging Ryan Klesko was a member of the Braves' World Series-winning team in 1995, and the Padres were thrilled to add his bat to their everyday lineup ahead of the 2000 season. The Westminster, California native would end up playing seven seasons in San Diego, slashing .279/.381/.491 with 133 homers, 493 RBI and 176 doubles. He helped the Padres advance to the playoffs in '05 and '06 and represented them in the 2001 All-Star Game.

Elon University product Greg Harris began his career with San Diego back in 1988, and while he was never considered an upper-echelon starter, he gave this team a handful of really strong seasons. In 194 games for the Padres (71 of which were starts), Harris turned in a 2.95 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP in 673.1 innings. He was never an all-star, but interestingly came very close to reaching double digits in both saves (15) and complete games (9) during his Friars career. 

The Padres selected right-handed starting pitcher Joey Hamilton eighth overall in the 1991 draft coming out of Georgia Southern University and had visions of him leading their staff for years to come. That notion ultimately proved to be a little overly ambitious, but he was still a productive member of this team's rotation for five years. In 146 outings, Hamilton worked to a 3.83 ERA in 934.2 innings, while hurling seven complete games — including four shutouts. He gave San Diego three seasons of 200 or more innings before being traded to the Blue Jays during the 1998 winter meetings.

Southpaw Bruce Hurst spent the first nine years of his career in Boston before joining the Padres as a free agent ahead of the 1989 season, and actually enjoyed some of the best seasons of his career pitching on the west coast. In 131 starts for the Padres, Hurst won 55 games with a 3.27 ERA, while contributing 29 complete games and firing 10 shutouts. His 1.18 WHIP was 22 points better than his mark with the Red Sox, and while he never made an All-Star game with the Padres, he did provide the club a solid middle-of-the-rotation veteran arm.