Gene Tenace made his mark as a vital member of the Oakland Athletics three consecutive World Series wins (1972-74), but like all of their stars, he was off to another team in 1977.  For Tenace, he stayed in the state, joining San Diego as a Free Agent.

Tenace was with the Padres for four years, and while he was never a feared hitter, he was an intelligent one.  The Catcher knew how to get on base, drawing over 100 Walks in his first three years in San Diego, including leading the National League with 125 in his first year as a Padre.  Tenace had a .415 OBP that year, all the more impressive considering his Batting Average was only .233.  Within the four years as a Padre, Tenace never had an OBP lower than .392 and only batted over .250 in one of those campaigns.  Tenace did have respectable power, accumulating 68 Home Runs over his time as a Friar, and his handling of a pitching staff was incalculable.

Dealt to the Cardinals after the 1980 Season, Tenace had a .403 OBP with San Diego, a number higher than what he did in Oakland (.374).  Amazingly, he had more Walks (423) than Hits (384) as a Padre, but as Moneyball tells you, “he gets on base."

Andy Ashby was traded during his third Major League Season from the expansion Colorado Rockies in 1993 to San Diego, and it was as a Padre where Ashby shone brightest.

The Righthanded Pitcher, who arrived as the "player to be named later," finished off '93 better than in Colorado, though considering he had an 8.50 ERA with the Rockies, that did not say much.  Ashby was much better in 1994 (6-11, 3.40 ERA), but in 1995, he cemented himself as a valuable part of the Padres staff, with a 12-10 Record and a 2.94 ERA.

Ashby had respectable years in 1996 and 1997 but broke out with All-Star seasons in 1998 and 1999 and was undoubtedly the staff ace.  These two years landed Ashby so high on this list, but it also led to his trade, as the small market Padres traded him to the Phillies before the 2000 Season.

Ashby had a 70-62 Record and 829 Strikeouts with the Padres.

Randy Jones might be one of the most unexpected and forgotten Cy Young winners in history, but this was not a one-season wonder, as many might misremember. 

Jones broke in the Majors with the Padres in 1973, going 7-6, but his sophomore year was abysmal.  While it was evident that Jones had talent, San Diego was not very good, and he lost a league-leading 22 Games against only 8 Wins and a 4.45 ERA.  He remained on the rotation going into 1975, and while the Padres brass knew the potential was there, what Jones put forth had to feel like it came out of the sky.

Jones' 1975 campaign saw the lefthander lead the NL in ERA (2.24) and ERA+ (156) and was second to the legendary Tom Seaver for the Cy Young.  He had an even better 1976, leading the league in Wins (22), Complete Games (25), Innings Pitched (25), and WHIP (1.027) with a healthy ERA of 2.74.  That year, Jones won the Cy Young, becoming the first Padre to win a major individual award.

Jones might not have been able to have another monster year, as he was up and down over the next four years, never regaining an All-Star form but remaining a serviceable starter.  He was traded to the Mets after the 1980 Season, and while Jones had a losing record with San Diego (92-105), he was an integral part of the growth of the franchise.

In 1999, the Padres enshrined Jones into their inaugural Hall of Fame Class two years after they retired his number 37.

A two-sport star in Minnesota, Dave Winfield easily could have had a career in professional basketball.  Instead, he opted for the diamond, and the Padres used their Fourth Overall Pick to take the prodigy.

Winfield started immediately for the Padres, bypassing the minors.  While he was a good Pitcher, San Diego wanted his bat, and he was used in Rightfield, a position he took too quickly.  Winfield hit 20 Home Runs in 1974 and was gradually improving and made his first All-Star Game in 1977, the first of what would be 12 straight.  He belted 25 Home Runs that year, 24 the next, and in 1979, he had his best year in a Padres uniform with 34 Home Runs, a league-leading 118 RBIs, and a .308 Batting Average.  Winfield led the NL in bWAR for Position Players and was third for the MVP.  He played one more season for San Diego before he signed with the New York Yankees as a Free Agent.

With the Padres, Winfield amassed 1,134 Hits, 154 Home Runs with a Batting Average of .284.  The Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Winfield into their Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, and the Padres retired his number 31 the same year.  San Diego also inducted Winfield into their Hall the year before.