The San Diego Padres have had immense talent grace their roster throughout the years. Since 1969, the Friars have had 13 players who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. That includes obvious players such as Tony Gwynn and Dave Winfield, but it also has some other, more surprising players. Below is a Padres all-time lineup solely consisting of greats who had shorter stints in the brown and gold.<\/p>\n
Hall of Fame catcher<\/a> Mike Piazza<\/a> is one of the greatest offensive backstops in the history of the game. He batted .308\/.377\/.545 with a career 143 OPS+ (where 100 is average). He slugged 427 homers, the most by a primary catcher in history. It’s quite possibly a record that may not be broken. Piazza is far more remembered for his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets, though perhaps his most memorable story comes from his unconventional drafting.<\/p>\n The catcher was taken in the 62nd round as a favor to Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda. Lasorda was friends with Piazza’s father and obliged only so that Piazza would be able to use the fact that he was drafted to receive collegiate offers. But the offers never came, so Piazza begged Lasorda for a tryout. He impressed enough to receive a $15,000 signing bonus. After that, Piazza never looked back, winning the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1993.<\/p>\n Later in his career, Piazza posted consecutive sub-1 WAR seasons with the Mets from 2004-05 before signing a one-year deal with the Friars. Piazza hit .283\/.342\/.501 and posted 3.0 WAR. He also slugged a ridiculous 22 homers that still stands as the Padres’ single-season home run record by a catcher.<\/p>\n The 1969 NL MVP is most known for his time with the San Francisco Giants. He spent 19 of his 22 seasons with San Diego’s northern rivals. He’s one of only 18 players who have 2,000 hits and 500 homers. In his MVP year, Willie McCovey<\/a> put up an incredible 8.1 WAR season, slugging 45 home runs with an OPS+ of 209.<\/p>\n The towering first baseman was a six-time All-Star and a Hall of Famer. But the greatest indicator of McCovey’s ability as a hitter was feared pitcher Bob Gibson<\/a> calling him “the scariest hitter in baseball.” Gibson was so terrifying that Hall of Famer Hank Aaron<\/a> famously said he would “knock down his own grandmother if she dared to challenge him,” so for as fearsome a pitcher as Gibson to praise McCovey is a true sign of his abilities.<\/p>\n Willie McCovey with the San Diego Padres. pic.twitter.com\/dEL9REJvmo<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Baseball\u2019s Greatest Moments (@BBGreatMoments) March 16, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n1B Willie McCovey (1974-1976)<\/h3>\n
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