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 other San Diego Pitchers who played far longer with the team.  

The year in question was 1998, the year after he was traded from the Florida Marlins, who won the 1997 World Series and held a fire sale to get rid of all their stars.  It can be argued (and we have) that the Marlins do not win the World Series without Brown, and we will make the same statement that San Diego does not win the 1998 Pennant without Brown.  

In 1998, Brown led the NL in bWAR for Pitchers (8.6) and FIP (2.23), won 16 Games, and was second in WHIP (1.066), ERA (2.38), and Strikeouts (257).  The Padres advanced to the World Series, and Brown was great over his first two playoff series, though his World Series was not great.  He didn't win the Cy Young, but TSN named him the Pitcher of the Year.

Brown left the Padres as a Free Agent for the Dodgers, and his brief but brilliant stay in San Diego ended.

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 as a Free Agent for Arizona in 1999.

His inconsistent defense hinders Finley's rank, and while he won two Gold Gloves as a Padre, the advanced metrics did not warrant it.  Nevertheless, as a Padre, Finley had 662 Hits, 82 Home Runs, and batted .276.

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 16^th in MVP voting.  That was Myers' best time in San Diego, as his production slipped afterward before he left for Cincinnati as a Free Agent after the 2022 Season.

Myers had 134 Home Runs and 771 Hits with the team.

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 was ninth in MVP voting. 

Loretta was not able to recapture that in 2005 but did in 2006…though, by that time, he had already been traded to Boston.  With the Padres, Loretta batted .314 with 506 Hits.