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…

If you were to put a list together of the unsung Relief Pitchers of the 1980s, Craig Lefferts would have to be on it. A Chicago Cub as a rookie, Lefferts was sent to San Diego as part of a three-team trade before the 1984 Season.  Lefferts appeared in at least 60 Games over his first three years in San Diego, even leading the NL in Games Pitched (83) in 1986. The year after, he was trading during the season to San Francisco, but he returned home as a Free Agent for the 1990 Season, this time as a closer where he…

After two years with the Texas Rangers, Chris Young was traded to the San Diego Padres, the team he had his longest tenure. Young threw over 170 Innings and struck out at least 160 batters in both of his first two seasons as a Padre, going to the All-Star Game in 2007 when he had a 9-8 Record with a 3.12 ERA.  Young dealt with injuries over the next three seasons and only appeared in 36 Games in this stretch.  He left San Diego for the Mets as a Free Agent in 2011. With San Diego, Young went 33-25 with a 3.60…

A Rule 5 Draft Pick from Pittsburgh, Bip Roberts had to stay with the Padres for the entirety of the 1986 Season, where he was used mostly out of the dugout as a Pinch Hitter, Pinch Runner, or defensive Replacement.  He returned to the Minors over the next two years, returning as a starter in 1989. Roberts batted .301 in 117 Games in 1989 and had his best year with San Diego the year after, batting .309 with 172 Hits and 46 Stolen Bases.  After a down year, Roberts was traded to Cincinnati but would return as a Free Agent in 1994…

A tricky one to rank, Tim Flannery was one of the most popular players in the history of Padres baseball, although the position player never had a season where he had more than 108 Hits. Flannery was with San Diego for all of 11 Seasons, appearing at Second, Third, or Shortstop, showing solid defensive versatility.  While he was not a power hitter, Flannery was often used to pinch hit and would collect 631 Hits and bat .255 over his career.   After his career ended, Flannery became a Coach and would win three World Series Rings with San Francisco.

The San Diego Padres acquired Trent Grisham via trade after he played in 51 games with Milwaukee. Grisham took over the Centerfield position for the Padres and quickly established himself as an exceptional fielder despite being a light hitter. In 2020, he won a Gold Glove with an OPS of .808, which was arguably his best season in San Diego even though it was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The following year, he batted .242 with 15 Home Runs, but his Batting Average dropped to .184, which is below the Mendoza Line. However, he still managed to hit 17 Home…

Clay Kirby, an original Padre, will always be best known for the no-hit attempt that he was denied to complete. Kirby was taken from the Cardinals in the Expansion Draft, and had a rough rookie year, leading the NL in Losses (20), and had arguably a worse year in 1970, though in a game against the Mets, he had a no-hitter going into the ninth inning but was pulled for his at-bat.  It would take until Jos Musgrove in 2021 before the Padres ever recorded a no-hitter. Kirby had a good year in 1971, winning a career-high 15 Games with a…

Greg Vaughn was one of the known sluggers of the 1990s, blasting 355 Home Runs over his career, 79 of which were as a San Diego Padre, the second team he played for. In his contract year (1996), Vaughn was traded to the Padres from Milwaukee, and he resigned with the Padres as a Free Agent.  Vaughn missed many Games in 1997, but in 1998, he had his best power year, with 50 Home Runs, 119 RBIs, and a .272 Batting Average.  The Padres went to the World Series, with Vaughn as their feared slugger, but the Yankees proved too much For…