The Greatest San Diego Padres Players in the Last 50 Years

I am continuing my list for the greatest players at each position in the last 50 years for every MLB team. Today’s team is the San Diego Padres

The criteria are as follows:

- Player must have played a full 5 seasons for the team.

-1 player will be selected for each position, 1 righthanded starting pitcher, 1 lefthanded starting pitcher, and 1 relief pitcher. I will include a DH for both leagues (considering interleague play now).

 Below is my list of greatest players by position for the Padres in the last 50 years (since the 1970 season).  

First Base- Adrian Gonzalez

Second Base-Bip Roberts

Shortstop- Gary Templeton

Third Base- Phil Nevin

Left Field-Gene Richards

Centerfield-Mark Kotsay

Right Field- Tony Gwynn

Catcher- Terry Kennedy

Designated Hitter- Dave Winfield

Right-Handed starting pitcher- Jake Peavy

Left-Handed starting pitcher- Randy Jones

Relief pitcher- Trevor Hoffman

 A couple of notes. Padres have had a strange history with some all-time great players, and lots of average players. Gwynn, Winfield and Hoffman are hall of famers, but, when you look at some other positions on the list, it is remarkable that there are not better options. Many times, there were players who just did not last long enough to meet the 5 yr criteria. For example, Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith  played 4 years at shortstop before getting traded to the Cardinals. Ken Caminiti won the MVP while with the Padres, but only played for them for 4 years. Kevin McReynolds was a very good centerfielder during the 1984 NL pennant winning team. He only played 4 years with the Padres as well. Not many great options at those positions. Catcher was a tough call between Kennedy and Benito Santiago. I took Kennedy since he was more consistent.