SAN DIEGO, CA - MAY 20: General view of Petco Park before the game between the San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 20, 2017 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
The San Diego Padres have been a star studded franchise over the years. Which of their players are on the franchise Mount Rushmore?
The San Diego Padres have been an interesting franchise. Despite their smaller market payroll, they have had moments of extravagance, such as their ill-fated attempt to return to the postseason in 2015. Although they gave up a great deal of their prospects, the return they got back more than made up for that initial expenditure.
San Diego may be going through difficult times currently, but the future is certainly bright. With players like Wil Myers, Manny Margot, and Hunter Renfroe on the major league roster, the building blocks are there. It will just take some time before the Padres are ready to contend once again.
When they do, they may be able to build another solid run. After just one playoff berth in their first 26 years, the Padres had four trips to the postseason from 1996 through 2006. Although they have not returned since 2006, they had a couple of near misses, finishing just out of a playoff berth in 2007 and 2010.
The World Series appearances, and the days when the Padres were dotted with stars seems so long ago. The days when future Hall of Famers were wearing the brown and yellow almost feel like a lifetime ago. And yet, with the talent that the Padres are accumulating at the minor league level, and with some of those players already in the majors, it may be a matter of time before another run of success begins.
Which of those former San Diego Padres stars burned the brightest? Let us look through their history and see who ends up on their Mount Rushmore.
Randy Jones made history a couple of different ways with the San Diego Padres. He was the first player in team history to win a major award, as he took home the Cy Young award in 1976. Jones later became the only starting pitcher with a lifetime losing record to win the award.
Jones certainly did not look like a future Cy Young winner in his first two seasons. he led the league in losses in 1974, and had occasional command issues. As he did not throw hard, those walks led to trouble. However, after that 1974 campaign, pitching coach Tom Morgan altered Jones’ mechanics, and he suddenly became a star.
Jones was a back to back All Star in 1975 and 1976, a 20 game winner each year. he led the National League with a 2.24 ERA in 1975, finishing second in the Cy Young balloting. The next year, he became the Padres first major award winner, taking home the award as he led the league with 22 wins, 25 complete games, 315.1 innings, and a 1.027 WHiP. He appeared on his way to becoming a major star.
However, after the season, Jones had surgery on a nerve injury, and never found that success again. During his eight seasons with the Padres, he posted a 92-105 record, along with a 3.30 ERA and a 1.208 WHiP. Never a hard thrower, Jones struck out 677 batters, while issuing 414 walks, in 1766 innings.
Randy Jones was well on his way to stardom with the San Diego Padres. Then an injury ruined what was a promising career.
Most modern closers rely upon a blazing fastball to slam the door in the ninth. Trevor Hoffman became of the the great closers through his devastating changeup.
An icon with the San Diego Padres, Hoffman actually began his career as an infielder with the Reds. After showing mediocre results with the bat, he was converted to the mound, and showed enough promise for the Marlins to select him in the expansion draft. He stuck with the major league team in 1993, and was sent to the Padres as part of the Gary Sheffield trade later that year.
The deal certainly worked out well for San Diego. Hoffman became their closer the following year, and did not relinquish control of the job during his stay with the Padres. He was a six time All Star, had two second place finishes in the Cy Young vote, and twice won the NL Rolaids Relief Pitcher of the Year award. Hoffman led the league in saves twice, and had nine seasons with 40 or more saves.
With that success, it is understandable that his statistics would be impressive. Hoffman posted a 2.76 ERA and a 1.043 WHiP with the Padres, notching an incredible 552 saves. In his 952.1 innings, Hoffman struck out 1029 batters while issuing only 255 walks. He was a true artist on the mound, using deception to become one of the greatest closers of all time.
A future Hall of Famer, Trevor Hoffman dominated with the San Diego Padres. His changeup was the stuff of nightmares for the opposition.
Not many athletes can say they were drafted by four major sports leagues. San Diego Padres star Dave Winfield is one of those rarities.
Winfield was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Padres, Utah Stars, and Atlanta Hawks. He was also considered an excellent pitcher, leaving questions as to what position he would play. The Padres drafted him as an outfielder, and he would never play a game in the minors.
It took some time, but Winfield began to emerge as a star in San Diego. He had five seasons with 20 or more homers with the Padres, and led the National League with 118 RBI in 1979. Winfield also possessed excellent speed at the time, and had four seasons with 20 or more stolen bases.
A four time All Star and two time Gold Glove winner, Winfield was only just touching his potential during his eight seasons with the Padres. Overall, he produced a solid .284/.357/.464 batting line, hitting 154 homers and stealing 133 bases. Winfield was an excellent outfielder with a strong arm, as he lead NL right fielders in assists twice, and was in the top three in runs saved three times.
Dave Winfield was one of the greatest athletes in the history of the game. That ability helped him begin his ascension to stardom with the Padres.
Gwynn, in a lot of ways, was the home town kid made good. Born in Los Angeles, he went to San Diego State University before being drafted in third round in 1981. He quickly rose through the system, reaching the majors the next year. It did not take long for Gwynn to prove he was ready.
An eight time batting champion, Gwynn is remembered for his abbreviated run at .400. He was hitting .394, and on a hot streak, when the player’s strike ended the 1994 campaign, and possibly taking away his chance at history. It was the closest anyone had come since Ted Williams in 1941, an impressive feat with the bat.
An eight time batting champion, Gwynn led the league in hits seven times, and had five seasons with 200 or more base hits. He was a 15 time All Star, and won seven Silver Slugger awards. He produced an excellent .338/.388/.459 batting line, hitting 135 homers and 543 doubles. Gwynn had a lot of speed in his younger days, stealing 319 bases. He was also nearly impossible to strike out, with just 434 strikeouts in 10,232 plate appearances.
