I'm not sure the source of it, but it is posted at Friar Nation so I'll post it here. I'll post one a day. I'd like this pinned please. It is from a blog on Friar Nation which is Padre fan site.

#100 Aki Otsuka



Signed as a free agent prior to the 2004 season, Otsuka who had been one of the best relievers in the history of the Japanese League had no trouble adapting to Major League Baseball. Aki's unorthodox delivery, wicked slider and relative luck with turning balls put into play into outs were good for a 1.75 ERA, a steady job as Trevor Hoffman's 8th inning setup man and third place in the Rookie of the Year balloting behind teammate Khalil Greene and former Padre farmhand Jason Bay.

The unorthodox delivery, which involved a small tap in his glove with the ball, was the matter of some controversy. On May 2, 2004 following one pitch by Aki in the 8th inning, the Mets played the game under protest. "We felt it was an illegal pitch, the way he (Otsuka) was delivering the ball," said Art Howe. The argument was that the move was deceiving to runners on base and ought to be called a balk. The league disagreed. The Padres won. And Aki picked up a Hold, which he would go on to lead the league in that year. He would also pitch in the ninth most games of any Padre pitcher in a single season.

Overall, Aki was good for 4.6 Wins Above Replacement in 2005, but thanks to Manager Bruce Bochy's decision to call on Aki in high leverage situations, he managed 5.1 WXRL (Win Expectation relative to replacement level and the quality of lineup faced).

2005 was a bit of a disappointment following his outstanding 2004 campaign. Fans saw his strikeout rate fall, walk rate climb and RA balloon. Part of Aki's problem that season was his BABIP regressing toward league average and less favorable groupings of walks and hits. In fact, his Peripheral ERA rose only about half of a run. Despite the drop off in production, he was still a valuable asset worth nearly 3 wins over replacement.

In the off-season following 2005, Otsuka was dealt to the Texas Rangers as part of a six player trade. Barring a return via free agency later in his career, and the Padres do like to bring back former players in the twilight of their careers, we can safely assume that Aki will not climb any higher on the Padres All-Time List.

he has been a good closer this year, i hate the pause in his delivery

#99 Tim Worrell



Drafted by the Padres in the 20th round of the 1989 amateur entry draft out of Biola University, Worrell would spend four seasons in the minors before a solid showing in 1993 earned him a call-up. He would make his first Major League appearance as a reliever on June 25th at Jack Murphy Stadium against the visiting Reds. It wasn't terribly successful, as Worrell with 2 on and 2 out in the third would give up a three run home run to Kevin Mitchell. Those three runs were more than enough for the Reds' Tim Belcher who allowed only two runs in his complete game that day.

Tim was a below average pitcher in '93, but still had some value as an above replacement level player. It looked as though he might have more success his second time through the league having matched his previous season's production in his first three starts. Unfortunately, his season would be cut short by a torn elbow ligament, going in for Tommy John surgery on May 12, 1994 and not returning until September 1, 1995. Tim made nine relief appearances to close out the '95 season in unspectacular fashion.

1996 would mark the first time the Padres made the post season since 1984 and the reason Tim Worrell makes this list. At 28 years old and in a pennant race, Worrell had a career year. In his first full season back from surgery, Worrell was a solid 34% better than average at preventing runs and was worth nearly five wins relative to replacement. Only Trevor Hoffman was more valuable out of the bullpen for the Padres in 1996 and while Hoffy picked up three saves in the final series of the season, Tim was the winning pitcher in both of the games he appeared in. Unfortunately, the Padres were swept in the opening round of the playoffs, but Worrell and his 2.45 post season ERA weren't to blame.

Tim's next season wouldn't be nearly as productive as he would pitch 15 fewer innings over ten more games and would see his RA increase by more than two. It was only his second full year as a Padre and it would also be his last. Worrell was sent packing along with Trey Beamon in a trade that would net Donne Wall, Dan Miceli and Ryan Balfe from the Detroit Tigers the following off-season.

He did pretty good for the Giants as a 34 or 35 year old. Too bad he didn't pan out this year

He did really bad for the Phillies.

Then he did good for the Diamondbacks so he could get a good contract from us <_<

#98 Mark Thurmond



Drafted by the Padres out of Texas A&M in the fifth round of the 1979 draft, pitcher Mark Thurmond was the heir-apparent to the “crafty lefty” mantle shouldered proudly in previous seasons by Randy Jones.

He appeared equal to the task upon reaching the big club in 1983. Hitting the ground running, Thurmond posted a 7-3 win-loss mark, to go with a stingy 2.65 ERA. His lack of strikeout stuff - just 49 punch-outs in 115 1/3 innings - went unnoticed in a baseball community that had yet to notice a young sabermetrician named Bill James.

Mark continued to trick NL hitters with smoke and mirrors in 1984, logging a big season for the World Series-bound Padres. He notched the second most victories on the club, going 14-8, en route to a 2.97 ERA. The left side of the ’84 squad’s infield, comprised of Graig Nettles and Garry Templeton, helped the stuff-challenged lefty turn numerous ground balls into outs, enabling him to allow less hits than innings pitched. It would be the last time Thurmond would accomplish such a feat as a Friar, however, as his alarmingly low 57 K’s in 178-2/3 innings served as an indicator that his days as an effective starter were coming to an end.

The wheels came off in the 1984 World Series, as Thurmond lost Game One 3-2, and was bounced after retiring only one hitter in the first inning of Game Five, having been touched up for three runs.

In 1985 the ERA rose by a full run, the win-loss record flip-flopped to 7-11, and the man who had just a year earlier been among the top lefties in the NL began to fall out of favor with the Padre brass. In July of 1986, Mark Thurmond was sent to the Detroit Tigers, who had battered him senseless in the World Series less than two years prior, in exchange for Dave LaPoint.

Thurmond finished his career performing mop-up duties in Detroit, Baltimore, and finally in San Francisco, for whom he threw his final pitch in 1990. His prominent role for the Padres’ first pennant-winning club remains the crowning achievement in an otherwise-undistinguished career.

do 2 a day at least. one a day is boring :)

OTSUKA is better than worrel in my book

Yeah but Otsuka was only a Padre for 1 or 2 years, didn't leave much of a legacy.

I'm guessing Gwynn will be #1 but I'll have to wait 97 more days to see :lol:

i think hoffman shpould be 1, gwynn 2.

#97 Dave Campbell



University of Michigan product Dave Campbell was acquired (with Pat Dobson) by the Padres in December of 1969 in exchange for Joe Niekro. Campbell, whose first major league hit was a home run for the 1968 World Champion Tigers, would become the Padres regular second baseman in 1970.

In what passed for a good season for a Friar of that woeful era, Dave led NL second basemen in putouts and assists. His 12 homeruns would be the franchise standard at the keystone position for two decades, surviving until Brett Boone clubbed 19 during the 2000 campaign. Still, Campbell’s OBP of .268, and slugging pct. of .336 left something to be desired.

Nonetheless, Dave Campbell would remain in the lineup for another season, finishing sixth in the league with 12 sacrifice hits in 1971. He saw part-time duty for the Padres for the following season-and-a-half before being shipped to the Cardinals for Dwain Anderson.

After closing out his big league career in a lackluster fashion with the Houston Astros, Campbell went on to a distinguished broadcasting career, teaming with Jerry Coleman from 1978-88 (excepting Coleman’s managerial stint in ’80) in the Padres’ booth, and later attaining greater fame as an integral part of ESPN’s radio and television team, for whom he continues to provide stellar work.

#96 Marvell Wynne



Marvell Wynne was never a great player, but he was one of my favorites. He lingers in my memory for his above-average centerfield defense and his great baseball name. He played only eight seasons in the major leagues, and only three-and-a-half years with the Padres, but Marvell managed to make a lot out of a limited skill set, somewhat similar to later Padres player Eric Owens and Padres draftee Thomas Howard.

Marvell was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Kansas City Royals in 1979. In 1981 he was traded to the Mets for Juan Berenguer (a terrible trade for the Mets), and later played for the Pirates, with whom he first reached the major leagues.

Marvell was primarily used as a defense-first centerfielder, and he arguably never would have played a game in the major leagues if not for his quick jump and good range. Early in his career he stole a few bases and managed to score a few runs, but he had no power whatsoever, terrible plate discipline, and generally hit like a pitcher. He was caught stealing as often as he was successful, which probably accounts for him stealing no more than 12 bases in any season apart from 1984, his only season as a regular.

In 1986, just after spring training, Marvell was traded to the Padres for reliever/spot starter Bob Patterson. In four seasons with the Padres, Wynne never accumulated more than 350 at bats. He had arguably his finest season as a professional with the Padres in 1988, when he compiled a .751 OPS in limited duty.

In 1989, Wynne was traded with Luis Salazar to the Cubs for the aged Calvin Schiraldi, Darrin Jackson, and Phil Stephenson. After spending a little more than a year with the Cubs, Marvell Wynne's MLB career ended, and given the choice of a hard life on the road in the minor leagues or a steady paycheck elsewhere, he chose the latter. He ended his career with the Hanshin Tigers in Osaka, the former team of Rob Deer, Tsuyoshi Shinjo, Larry Parrish, Randy Bass, and Cecil Fielder. The team currently features former Padre Andy Sheets and one time Yankees phenom Shane Spencer. When he retired, Wynne returned to his home in Poway, CA.

Interestingly, Marvell Wynne might not be the best athlete named Marvell Wynne in his own family. His son, Marvell Wynne II, was a highly touted collegiate soccer player at UCLA, and was recently the first overall pick in the 2006 Major League Soccer SuperDraft. He will begin his professional career as a defender for the New York Red Bull (formerly MetroStars).

Can't believe he made it, doesn't seem like he should be there.

#95 Jerry Mumphrey



It was 1980, and speed was king. Baseball’s landscape was littered with basethieves more daring and prolific than any in today’s game. And no team boasted more of these larcenous jackrabbits than the San Diego Padres.

This was the game I grew up with, and while I now realize the insignificance of the stolen base on runs scored, I will never forget how much fun it was to watch. And watching the Padres, the first team in MLB history to feature three players with 50 or more steals, was indeed fun.

The most effective of the local bandits was a comically bad-fielding centerfielder named Jerry Mumphrey. In his lone season in Padre-brown, Mumphrey stole 52 bases (30 more than the second-best total in his fifteen-year career) and was caught a mere five times. His .298 batting average and 49 bases on balls enabled him to post a .352 OBP, relative to a league OBP of .320. Jerry’s stolen base total, in addition to Gene Richards’ 61, Ozzie Smith’s 57, and Dave Winfield’s 23, helped the Friars pace the NL with a now-unthinkable 239 thefts.

Unfortunately, much of the apparent value of Mumphrey’s offensive performance was negated by his defensive misadventures. His circuitous routes to the ball, coupled with his league-leading 11 (yes, ELEVEN) errors, made him a less-than-ideal centerfielder. With the equally inept Richards in left, perennial Gold Glover Winfield was the pitchers’ only outfield friend.

Mumphrey had been obtained from the Indians for Bob Owchinko and Jim Wilhelm, neither of whom will appear in this Top 100 countdown. On March 31 the following year, after a single memorable Padre campaign, Jerry was shipped to the Yankees with John Pacella in exchange for Ruppert Jones, Joe Lefebvre, Tim Lollar, and Chris Welsh. Two of the players netted in that transaction will appear on our list. Essentially, Owchinko, Wilhelm, and Pacella were swapped for three of the 100 best players in team history. If that is to be Jerry Mumphrey’s legacy, perhaps 95 is too low a ranking

Not the current player.

#94 Dave Roberts



Drafted June 6, 1972 by the San Diego Padres with the first overall pick, Dave Roberts would make his debut the very next day when called upon to replace John Jeter in the top of the 12th inning. He would strike out twice that day while going hitless. It wasn't the kind of start one would want to get a career off to, but it was only his first day on the job. And while Roberts didn't rebound much from his lackluster start he did manage to be worth about one win better than replacement over the course of his rookie campaign. Perhaps the most memorable moment of Roberts's season was on July 18 when Steve Arlin took a no-hitter into the 9th inning and with two outs Philadelphia's Denny Doyle hit a 2-out bloop single over the rookie's head to break it up.

Roberts's second time through the league seemed to erase any possible doubt that he was deserving of the #1 overall pick the year before. He hit .286/.310/.472 while playing a solid third base. That line probably doesn't look impressive to some, but you have to look at it in the context of the 1973 National League where an average player hit .254/.318/.375. Unfortunately, 1974 would swing opinion permanently back the other way. Dave's stat line was atrocious for any era and it would be the last year he cracked 100 games as a Padre. It's likely for the best that he didn't because he ceased to hit rather completely.

In 1978, the Padres would ship Roberts out as part of a five player deal that featured no big names (unless you count Bevacqua, and I don't). Roberts's Padre career was a disappointment given the expectations of being the first overall pick, but his one excellent season combined with his production off the bench was enough to make him one of San Diego's top 100 players.

#93 Leron Lee

Leron Lee is Derrek Lee’s uncle.

The End.

To be fair, Derrek’s uncle had a career not entirely devoid of distinction. He was a prospect of note after signing with the Cardinals as the seventh pick in the 1966 draft. He reached the majors at age 21, and was seeing semi-regular duty by the following season. Despite his rapid ascension through the ranks, his primary attributes to that point were his outstanding athleticism (more applicable to football, a sport in which he was a high school star), and the fact that he looked good in a uniform.

His performance on the diamond failing to endear him to the organization, the Cards packaged the uncle of Derrek Lee with Fred Norman in a June, 1971 swap with the Padres for a guy named Al Santorini. That the Pads could pull off such a brilliant transaction, yet remain one of the worst clubs in history, continues to perplex. The fact remains, however, that they could, and that they did.

Upon donning the Padre urine-yellow-and-brown, Leron (he’s Derrek Lee’s uncle, you know…) made like his unborn nephew, and hit. He finished the ’71 campaign by posting an OPS+ of 107 with the Padres, a harbinger of the fluke season that he would enjoy the following year.

To call Lee’s 1972 season an outlier would be something of an understatement. He compiled career highs in at-bats, runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, batting average, OBP, and slugging. His OPS+ of 125 at the tender age of 24 stamped him as an upcoming star.

Stardom, however, would not come to pass for Leron Lee (unlike his nephew Derrek). Nineteen-seventy-three saw his OBP drop nearly 50 points, while his slugging percentage dropped a full 200 points. He had become a true Padre. At least until he was put on waivers in March, 1974.

Claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Indians, he continued his new trend of being a crappy player on a crappy team. No matter, as Leron Lee will always have 1972. Plus, the thing about being Derrek Lee’s uncle. I’m sure he’s proud of that, too. And making our Top 100 has got to be a feather in his cap, too. Did I mention that Derrek Lee is his nephew? Well, he is, and he’s really good.

#91 Steve Arlin



| Career Stats |

Drafted by the Padres from the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1968 expansion draft with the 57th overall pick, Steve Arlin began his Padre career with Columbus in the International League. Despite an atrocious 41:42 K:BB ratio, he was called up and predictably pitched at below replacement level. Arlin would begin the following year with Salt Lake City and would improve his K:BB ratio to 52:50. Allow the fact that 52:50 was an improvement to sink in. Arlin would get another call up and in two starts put up an impressive RA+ despite walking nearly three times as many batters as he struck out.

By 1971 it was clear that Arlin's unfortunate performance was "good" enough to warrant a spot in the starting rotation. His biggest "accomplishment" of 1971 outside of managing to keep his job was giving up a monster home run to Bob Robertson that landed in the 70-foot high RF upper deck at Three Rivers Stadium. Second on the list was leading the NL with 19 losses.

The following year was an improvement. According to Baseball Library, Arlin would throw three two-hitters, a one-hitter and also a 10-inning one-hit game. The one-hitter occurred on June 23rd and wasn't a near no-hitter as Garry Maddox tripled in the 2nd inning. Arlin's two-hitter on July 18, however, was as close as a Padre has come to throwing a no-hitter. With two outs in the ninth, it was still intact. Unfortunately, Zimmer would elect to have Dave Roberts play in close out at third and the result would be a ball dumped over his head. 1972 was also memorable for it being the second consecutive year that Arlin led the NL in losses.

The last two years of Arlin's Padre career were forgettable at best and his final season as a Friar actually did more to hurt his position on this list than help and by June of that year he was packaged for players to be named later. Neither amounted to anything as Padres.

you skipped 92

Oops. I guess we get a bonus today.

#92 Donne Wall



Career Stats

Drafted by the Houston Astros in 1989, Donne Wall wouldn't make his Major League debut until September of 1995. Two years later, the Cincinnati Reds claimed him off waivers. Then roughly a month after that he was packaged with Paul Bako to the Detroit tigers in exchange for Melvin Nieves. It would take another eight days before he was packaged with Ryan Balfe and Dan Miceli and sent off to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Trey Beamon and Tim Worrell.

As a member of the Houston Astros, Wall was used as a starter, but had little to no success in that role. The Padres didn't make that mistake. As a reliever for San Diego, Wall put up three of the four most productive seasons of his career. 1998 was his strongest effort and one that helped solidify the Padre bullpen. The next season, Wall regressed roughly half a win, but remained valuable especially for a middle reliever. Two successful seasons seemed to give Bochy more confidence in Wall because in 2000, Donne was used with a great deal more frequency in high leverage situations and he didn't give Boch reason to regret as you can see from his WXRL that year.

Wall's role on the team, that of a middle reliever, likely made him somewhat forgettable, but he was very productive in his time in San Diego. And that's what we're measuring here. I assume more Padre fans remember Eric Owens and Bubba Trammell, but they weren't as valuable as Wall and others who made the list.

#90 Jerry Turner



| CAREER STATS |

Like many 1970’s Padres, in 1979 Jerry Turner was a man asked to do a job at which he had no hopes of succeeding.

Turner logged one of the great pinch-hitting performances in baseball’s long history in 1978. His .408 average in pinch situations stands alone. He clubbed five pinch homers. And the San Diego Padre brass decided that he might make a fine regular leftfielder.

No less an authority than my father (forgive me, Dad…) deemed Jerry an approaching savior. My dad insisted that Turner would put up numbers to make my hero, Dave Winfield, blush. Perhaps the Hall of Fame voters missed something, but the debate over which team’s cap Jerry Webber Turner will wear on his plaque has sparked little interest to date.

Turner had been a 10th round Padre draft pick in 1972, but his performance in the farm system moved him quickly toward the big club, and he reached the majors in 1974, at age 20. Once with the Padres, Jerry settled into a steady bench role of mashing right-handed pitchers. Although he had plus power and speed, he didn’t hit lefties or play defense well enough to warrant a regular line-up spot, even for the lowly Padres.

My friend Frank, older than dirt and with the memory of an elephant, offered this Jerry Turner remembrance via e-mail:

“Quick Jerry Turner story: Late 70’s TV day game. Dodger Stadium, he’s playing leftfield, short porch in the corner near the foul pole. High fly hit, there were those little gates to keep fans off the field. The usher bumps into a gate and knocks it open while ball is in air. Jerry, who was a stick guy not in there for his D, tracks the ball straight back, goes through the gate, into the stands, climbs about four steps, and catches the ball. True story.”

Coincidentally, I remembered that play. I remembered it as a foul ball, and I recalled Turner stumbling/tripping up the steps. Pretty much the same story, though, and I’m sure it’s the same play (Somebody Retrosheet this for us. The security of the Free World is at stake. Plus, I need to know that I’m right, and Frank is wrong.).

Frank’s senility aside, Jerry Turner’s career as an everyday outfielder was unsuccessful and short-lived, being confined to 1979. And I want to remind my dad that Winfield led the NL in RBI that year, while hitting .308 with 34 dingers. Won the Gold Glove. Got screwed out of the MVP, as a matter of fact.

Jerry Turner in 1979? Nine homers. An OBP lower than Winfield’s batting average. Butcher in the field, fluke play at Dodger Stadium notwithstanding.

Turner’s career came to a close when he returned to the Padres in 1983, after having left for stints with the White Sox and Tigers. He was out of the majors by age 30. He remains involved in professional baseball, however, as batting coach of the independent Golden League’s Fullerton Flyers. And he was by all accounts a “good clubhouse guy.”

#89 Scott Sanders



SCOTT GERALD SANDERS | SP/RP | 1993-1996, 1998 | Career Stats

After being drafted 32nd overall by the Padres in the 1990 amateur draft, Sanders would spend the next four years compiling a 4.83 RA and a 2.00 K/BB ratio from Low A to Triple A. That performance coupled no doubt with his being a first round pick was good enough to get nine starts at the Major League level in 1993. He was barely a third of a win above replacement across the 52.3 innings he pitched, but teams have seen worse performances from "established" starters (*cough*Tim Redding*cough*).

Scott performed well enough in '93 to get another chance in '94 and in just over twice as many innings, he was good for about nine times as much production. Scott would also see his first action out of the 'pen in a handful of high leverage situations and he performed well enough to put up a WXRL of .446 in only three appearances. Before one such appearance, Sanders was arrested for soliciting undercover policewomen posing as prostitutes. The Padres won that game with Scott picking up his first career save.

The following season, Sanders drew ever closer to a league average RA and was only half a win short of his previous career high despite pitching in six fewer games. Then in 1996, Sanders finally showed a flash of what would have made him a first round pick when he posted a RA 28% lower than the league average and was better than four and a half wins above replacement. Despite this breakout or because of it, Sanders was dealt in the off season for Sterling Hitchcock.

Sanders' days as a Padre weren't over though because in May of '98, the Padres dealt Rod Lindsey to the Tigers to bolster the bullpen. Unfortunately, Scott would post the worst numbers of his Padre career and he was cut in early September.

#88 Bob Barton




ROBERT WILBUR BARTON |C| 1970-1972, 1974 | CAREER STATS |

What can be said of Bob Barton that has not already been said?

I could call him a poor man’s Fred Kendall. Additionally, I might comment on the fact that Barton was the only member of our Top 100 club of whom I had no recollection. And of course it bears mentioning that our rankings place him as the seventh greatest catcher in Padre history. Oh, and he was born on a Wednesday.

In December 1969, after parts of five seasons of offensive impotence as a San Francisco Giant, Barton was shipped to the Friars with Bobby Etheridge and Ron Herbel. The Giants received Frank Reberger in the deal.

That Bob Barton was arguably the best player involved in this package speaks volumes of the insignificance of the deal. But a team has to play somebody at catcher, and Bob Barton became that somebody here in San Diego.

Barton struggled mightily in his first Padre campaign, posting a .592 OPS in limited duty. His second year with the club would be the best of his career. Playing in 121 games, he compiled an OPS of .663, just .021 beneath the league average. His modest success would be short-lived, however, as his playing time was limited to just 29 games the following season, which would see his OPS plummet to .413 (Yes, four-thirteen.).

Swapped to the Reds in mid-1972, Barton would appear in only two games as a Red before returning to San Diego to close out his career with a lackluster 1974. Released by the Padres on October of that year, Robert Wilbur Barton surprisingly has resurfaced as number 88 in our Padre countdown.

#87 Jody Reed



JODY ERIC REED | 2B | 1995-1996 | CAREER STATS

Between 1989 and 1991, Jody Reed was one of the better second baseman in the major leagues. Suffice it to say, he did not play those three seasons with the San Diego Padres, but rather with the team that drafted him, the Boston Red Sox. Reed was selected by the BoSox in the eighth round of the 1984 draft, and surfaced with the big team at the end of 1987. He stayed with the Red Sox until 1992.

Jody Reed was a classic '80s middle infielder. He was solid with the glove, had some gap power, and was a heady baserunner (That would be in reference to going from first to third on a single, not stealing bases. His career high in stolen bases was only seven. But Jody played the game “The Right Way”, looked good in a uniform, and had that intangible quality we now call "scrappy." Jody epitomized scrappitude.

After a major step back in 1992, the Red Sox chose not to protect Reed in the 1993 expansion draft. He was drafted by the Rockies, and was replaced in the Red Sox lineup by veteran Scott Fletcher. In unceremonious fashion, the Beantown club had washed its hands of Jody Reed. Soon thereafter, the Rockies traded Reed to the Dodgers for recent Padre great Rudy Seanez.

I imagine that Jody's $2.5 million contract (the fifth highest in baseball among second basemen) was attractive neither to the expansion Rockies nor the Sox considering his feeble bat, but the Dodgers needed a second baseman pretty badly. No other reasoning could possibly explain the events following Reed's only season with the Dodgers.

Jody's 1993 was quite a bit like his 1992, given modest improvement in average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. He proved to be an eminently replaceable commodity if not for his reputed glovework, so much so that Dodgers GM Fred Claire was prepared to offer Jody a sizeable contract to continue with the Dodgers, somewhere in the arena of his previous year's contract, and for multiple years.

Jody would have none of it. His agent/brother-in-law decided to play hardball with Claire, and deemed Jody equal in value to Giant all-star second baseman Robby Thompson, who signed a multi-year pact that off-season for a $3.8-million annual salary. That was the moment that Fred Claire made the biggest bonehead move of his career. Desperate for a second baseman, but not willing to overpay for a mediocre player, Claire did exactly that in trading a young pitcher named Pedro Martinez to the Expos to acquire Delino DeShields. Thus, Jody Reed was left out in the cold. Or as Dodger Thoughts' Jon Weisman put it:

"Jody Reed booted nearly $8 million. Fred Claire booted Pedro Martinez. Both looked around and thought they had a better play to make. You can see the rationalization, so tantalizing. But what blindness. Neither saw that the correct play was right in front of them."

Jody claimed that it wasn't about the money, hinting that he was afraid of what might happen to him as Jose Offerman's double-play partner (a perfectly rational concern). In any event, Jody eventually signed a minor league contract with the Brewers for $750k, and the following year began his tenure in San Diego.

Jody's days with the Padres were like those of so many other veterans signed by the Padres (and Chargers, for that matter): his reputation in the big pond garnered him a lot of respect in San Diego's smaller pond, and he was a beloved member of the Padres 1996 NL West Championship team. He hit relatively well in the postseason that year, with two key hits off Donovan Osborne in the deciding Game 3.

That was the last game of Jody's two-season stint with the Padres. He was traded that offseason to Detroit for (among others) the late Mike Darr, and after one season with the Tigers he retired from baseball, probably not of his own choosing.

He currently resides in Tampa, Florida, where he grew up. His website, jodyreedbaseball.com, professes to teach kids to play baseball the right way. (Needless to say, his brother-in-law does not run a similar website for sports agents!) Says Jody:

"I will show you how to do everything the same way Major League ballplayers do it. Through video clips done by me, you will learn the same techniques and mechanics the best players in the world use. We also communicate through message boards, chat rooms and even live webcasts to allow you a more personal training experience with a former Major Leaguer."

Lo, how the mighty have fallen. Once one of the five highest-paid players at his position, he's now available for a person-to-person Internet chat for the low, low price of thirty American dollars - a small price for any true Padres fan.

#86 Juan Bonilla



JUAN GUILLERMO BONILLA | 2B | 1981-1983 | CAREER STATS

Bonilla was originally drafted out of Florida State in 1977 by the New York Yankees with the 606th overall pick, but the pick was voided and in January of the following year, he was signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent. He spent three seasons in the Cleveland organization and compiled a truly unspectacular batting line. Bonilla's ability with the bat began and ended with hitting for a decent average. That decent average coupled with range at second base was enough to entice Padres who traded Bob Lacey for him after acquiring Lacey four days earlier from the Oakland Athletics.

Juan Bonilla became the Padres' starting second baseman in his rookie year and he didn't disappoint at the plate hitting at a tick above average relative to the league and leading Padre infielders in On-Base Percentage. Despite leading NL second basemen with 13 errors, Bonilla showed good range. Acquiring Bonilla was looking like a good decision.

Unfortunately, Bonilla's sophomore season was shortened by a broken wrist and drug rehabilitation. During the 45 games he did play in, Bonilla's batting average fell ten points as did his Equivalent Average. One bright side was the improvement in his fielding which had been a negative his rookie season.

Bonilla's third season with the Padres is is the one that has him on this list. Despite his offensive numbers continuing to decline, Juan put together his most valuable season of his career thanks to what may well have been a fluky spike in his fielding value. Thanks to a holdout the following year, he would be released and would end up signing with the team that originally drafted him.

bump. what happened?

I don't know if it was ever finished but I've found it up to 82.

85 Enzo Hernandez


ENZO OCTAVIO HERNANDEZ | SS | 1971-1977 |




Last week I wrote about a mediocrity named Bob Barton. Today I find myself trying to summon something positive to say about Enzo Hernandez. And on Tuesday, I shall wax poetic on the sub-par baseball skills of Rudi Stein of the Bad News Bears.

The presence in our Top 100 of players of Enzo’s ilk makes me wonder if perhaps this list should have been limited to the top 50 Padres. Go to the Baseball-Reference.com page of Enzo Octavio Hernandez, and you’ll find this quip from page sponsor Stephen Rodrick: “A tip of the cap [to] one of baseball’s least productive hitters in history.”

Stephen Rodrick is correct. At the plate, Hernandez was not merely bad. He was historically bad. In his rookie season with the Padres, he drove in just twelve runs despite accumulating 549 at-bats. He barely missed being the first regular in history to commit three errors for every RBI, as he finished with 33 miscues. Enzo’s slugging percentages in his first three seasons- .250, .249, and .239- would be an outstanding series in bowling, but stand as a testament to his impotence in baseball.

The tiny Venezuelan with the tinier OPS managed to compile a slugging or on-base percentage in excess of .300 just once in his career, posting a .319 OBP as well as slugging .321 in 1976, his finest offensive performance by a significant margin.

His career BA/OBP/SLG line of .224/.283/.266 looks like a joke, but is in fact the line of a man who was a regular/semi-regular in the National League for six seasons.

A sort of poor man’s Neifi Perez, Enzo has become a symbol of the early Padre squads’ futility. Nonetheless, he wasn’t entirely bad. He was an excellent base-stealer on the rare occasions that he found himself on base. He seldom struck out, and was a competent bunter. And he wasn’t exactly the worst defensive shortstop in the league.

Crap, who am I kidding?!? Enzo Hernandez sucked. Whenever you find yourself frustrated by today’s Padres, be thankful that there’s no Enzo in the bunch.