While Steve Garvery is most remembered for the 14 seasons that he spent with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he did sign a five-year/$6.6 million deal with the San Diego Padres ahead of the 1983 season.
Make no mistake, the overwhelming majority of Garvey's career production came with a division-rival, but he did make two All-Star Game appearances during what turned out to be the last five seasons of his career.
Additionally, Garvey hit a walk-off home run in Game 5 of the 1984 NLCS against the Chicago Cubs. Garvey would go on to win the 1984 NLCS MVP, as he helped the franchise to reach the World Series for the first time ever.
Still, Garvey played more than 100 games as a Padre just three times. He finished his half decade in San Diego with 1.6 total fWAR. His OPS as a Padre was just .717, as opposed to the .796 OPS that he posted in his time with the Dodgers.
We understand why the Padres retired Garvey's No. 6, but when it came time to rank the most productive players in franchise history, Garvey fell just short. So too did two players likely to eventually be on the list, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, who don't quite have the overall body of work yet.
With all that acknowledged, here are the nine greatest players in Padres history:
9. Phil Nevin (1999-2005)
Phil Nevin is one of the greatest players in Padres history.
(Donald Miralle/Getty Images)
Best Season as a Padre: 2001 - .306/.388/.588 with 41 home runs, 126 RBIs, 71 walks, .976 OPS, 158 OPS+ and a 5.6 fWAR
Career Stats as a Padre: .288/.359/.503 with 156 home runs, 573 RBIs, 325 walks, 842 hits, .862 OPS, 129 OPS+ and 16.5 fWAR
Nevin made his lone All-Star team as a Padre in 2001, the best of a three-year stretch between 1999 and 2001 that saw the slugger hit 96 home runs. In parts of seven seasons with the Padres, Nevin hit .288 and launched 156 total home runs, which are third in franchise history.
8. Brian Giles (2003-2009)
Brian Giles is one of the greatest players in Padres history.
(Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Best Season as a Padre: 2005 - .301/.423/.483 with 15 home runs, 83 RBIs, 119 walks, .905 OPS, 147 OPS+ and a 5.9 fWAR
Career Stats as a Padre: .279/.380/.435 with 83 home runs, 415 RBIs, 509 walks, 872 hits, .815 OPS, 122 OPS+ and 17.8 fWAR
One of the most underrated players of his era, Giles was acquired in an August 2003 trade that sent both Óliver Pérez and Jason Bay back to the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of a three-player package. It proved to be a trade that worked out for both sides, as Giles would spend parts of seven seasons with the Padres, leading the National League in walks during the 2005 season and hitting over .300 in two separate seasons with the team (2005 & 2008). Giles' 19.2 offensive WAR is seventh among all players in franchise history.
7. Andy Ashby (1993-1999; 2004)
Andy Ashby is one of the greatest players in Padres history.
(Vincent Laforet/Getty Images)
Best Season as a Padre: 1998 - 17-9 with a 3.34 ERA, 117 ERA+, 3.99 FIP, 1.240 WHIP, 151 strikeouts, five complete games and a 3.2 fWAR
Career Stats as a Padre: 70-62 with a 3.59 ERA, 112 ERA+, 4.04 FIP, 1.246 WHIP, 829 strikeouts, 18 complete games and 18.4 fWAR
Ashby was an All-Star twice during the height of The Steroid Era, reaching the midsummer classic in 1998 and 1999 even during an especially unforgiving time to be a pitcher. As a Padre, Ashby pitched 190 or more innings on four separate occasions, and led the National League in complete-game shutouts (three) in 1999.
6. Randy Jones (1973-1980)
Randy Jones is one of the greatest players in Padres history.
(Malcolm Emmons-USA Today)
Best Season as a Padre: 1976 - 22-14 with a 2.74 ERA, 119 ERA+, 3.18 FIP, 1.027 WHIP, 93 strikeouts, 25 complete games and a 4.6 fWAR
Career Stats as a Padre: 92-105 with a 3.30 ERA, 104 ERA+, 3.41 FIP, 1.208 WHIP, 677 strikeouts, 71 complete games and 23.1 fWAR
Jones' peak was relatively short, but he finished second in National League Cy Young Award voting in 1975, before becoming the first pitcher in Padres history to capture the award in 1976. In eight seasons with the Padres, Jones became the franchise leader in complete games (71), complete-game shutouts (18) and innings pitched (1,766). Jones' No. 35 is retired by the Padres.
5. Adrián González (2006-2010)
Adrian Gonzalez is one of the greatest players in Padres history.
(Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Best Season as a Padre: 2010 - .298/.393/.511 with 31 home runs, 101 RBIs, 93 walks, .904 OPS, 152 OPS+ and a 4.4 fWAR
Career Stats as a Padre: .288/.374/.514 with 161 home runs, 501 RBIs, 403 walks, 856 hits, .888 OPS, 141 OPS+ and 18.8 fWAR
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2000 MLB Draft, González developed into one of the National League's elite first basemen, even though he was contemporaries with Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard, among others. As a Padre, González made three All-Star teams, won two Gold Glove Awards and finished as high as fourth in National League MVP voting. González is among the top five in franchise history for positions players in fWAR (18.8), offensive WAR (19.8), slugging percentage (.514), OPS (.888), total bases (1,529), home runs (161), extra-base hits (344) and RBIs (501).
4. Jake Peavy (2002-2009)
Jake Peavy is one of the greatest players in Padres history.
(Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
Best Season as a Padre: 2007 - 19-6 with a 2.54 ERA, 158 ERA+, 2.84 FIP, 1.0611 WHIP, 240 strikeouts, zero complete games and a 6.7 fWAR
Career Stats as a Padre: 92-68 with a 3.29 ERA, 119 ERA+, 3.47 FIP, 1.186 WHIP, 1,348 strikeouts, seven complete games and 28.4 fWAR
A 15th-round pick in the 1999 MLB Draft, Peavy developed into arguably the most dominant starting pitcher in Padres history. Peavy made two All-Star teams as a Padre, and became the fourth pitcher in franchise history to win the National League Cy Young Award in 2007. Peavy also finished seventh in MVP voting in the senior circuit in 2007. Between 2004 and 2007, his 20.7 fWAR was third among all starting pitchers, trailing only Johan Santana and Roy Oswalt. He's the franchise's all-time leader in strikeouts with 1,348.
3. Trevor Hoffman (1993-2008)
Trevor Hoffman is one of the greatest players in Padres history.
(Stephen Dunn /Allsport)
Best Season as a Padre: 1998 - 4-2 with a 1.48 ERA, 265 ERA+, 2.04 FIP, 0.849 WHIP, 53/54 (98.1%) on save attempts and a 3.1 fWAR
Career Stats as a Padre: 54-64 with a 2.76 ERA, 146 ERA+, 2.93 FIP, 1.043 WHIP, 552/618 (89.3%) on save attempts and 23.7 fWAR
This is probably the highest that any closer will rank for a given team, but it was an easy decision in the case of Hoffman. As a Padre, Hoffman finished runner-up in National League Cy Young Award voting in both 1998 and 2006, and ultimately made six All-Star appearances. He's the franchise's all-time leader among pitchers in saves (552), ERA (2.76), WHIP (1.043) and FIP (2.93). Hoffman -- whose 601 career saves are second in MLB history -- was elected to the Hall of Fame as a Padre in 2018. His No. 51 is retired by the Padres.
2. Dave Winfield (1973-1980)
Dave Winfield is one of the greatest players in Padres history.
(Bettmann/Getty Images)
Best Season as a Padre: 1979 - .308/.395/.558 with 34 home runs, 118 RBIs, 85 walks, .953 OPS, 166 OPS+ and a 7.8 fWAR
Career Stats as a Padre: .284/.357/.464 with 154 home runs, 626 RBIs, 463 walks, .821 OPS, 134 OPS+ and 29.1 fWAR
Winfield spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Padres after being selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 1973 MLB Draft. As a Padre, Winfield made four All-Star teams, was a two-time Gold Glove Award winner and finished third in National League MVP in 1979. While Winfield actually spent slightly longer as a New York Yankee, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Padre in 2001, becoming the first player to wear a San Diego cap in Cooperstown.
1. Tony Gwynn (1982-2001)
Tony Gwynn is one of the greatest players in Padres history.
(VJ Lovero-USA TODAY/USA Today)
Best Season as a Padre: 1987 - .370/.447/.511 with seven home runs, 54 RBIs, 82 walks, .958 OPS, 158 OPS+ and a 7.4 fWAR
Career Stats as a Padre: .338/.388/.459 with 135 home runs, 1,138 RBIs, 790 walks, 3,141 hits, .847 OPS, 132 OPS+ and 65.0 fWAR
Gwynn is one of the greatest right fielders in MLB history, and the best player to ever suit up for the Padres. A third-round pick out of San Diego State in 1981, Gwynn was a 15-time All-Star, eight-time National League batting champion, seven-time Silver Slugger Award winner and five-time Gold Glove Award winner. "Mr. Padre" is the franchise leader in fWAR (65.0), offensive WAR (67.2), batting average (.338), hits (3,141), singles (2,378), doubles (543), triples (85), extra-base hits (763), RBIs (1,138), walks (790), intentional walks (203) and sacrifice flies (85), among other categories. Gwynn was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2007, and his No. 19 is retired by the Padres. He was a no-brainer for the top spot.
Previous Entires in This Series
- The 9 Greatest Players in Giants History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Astros History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Expos/Nationals History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Rangers History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Mariners History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Mets History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Angels History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Blue Jays History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Diamondbacks History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Orioles History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Marlins History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Phillies History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Rockies History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Rays History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Braves History
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