The Padres have seen it all in their franchise history, from some spectacular World Series teams to horrendous trainwrecks. After looking back at our franchise’s 51 years of baseball, here are the five greatest seasons in San Diego Padres history.
5. 1989 (89-73, missed playoffs): The ‘89 Padres had one of the best regular seasons in Padres history, but unfortunately played in an era where only the division winner made the playoffs. Jack Clark (.410 OBP with 26 HRs) and Tony Gwynn (.336 BA and 82 R) led the offense, and on the mound, Ed Whitson (16-11 and 2.66 ERA) and Mark Davis (1.85 ERA with 44 SV) were lights out. Other notable players are pitchers Greg Harris, Bruce Hurst and second baseman Roberto Alomar.
4. 2006 (88-74, Lost in NLDS): While the Padres may have had better seasons in terms of winning percentage during their 2000s run, this team was the best to make the playoffs, which is why they got the nod at no. 4 on our list. The 2006 Padres didn’t necessarily have a player or two who stood out over the rest, but they had a group of guys who played great team ball under the club’s greatest manager ever in Bruce Bochy. The offense was led by Mike Cameron, Adrian Gonzalez and Brian Giles, while the pitching staff (who finished first in the MLB in earned run average, saves and holds) had guys like Chris Young, Cla Meredith and Trevor Hoffman.
3. 1984 (92-70, Lost in WS): Going into the 1984 season, the Padres were a .500 team back-to-back years that needed much improvement if they wanted to win the division. That huge improvement came from Steve Garvey and Tony Gwynn, two guys who hadn’t played over 100 games in a season for the Padres yet in their careers. Garvey, a Dodger great nearing the end of his career, led the Padres in games played, runs batted in and fielding percentage. Gwynn, a prospect playing his first full season, hit .351 with 213 hits, 23 doubles, 33 stolen bases and an on-base percentage of .410. Other notable players on this team were Alan Wiggins (70 SBs), Rich “Goose” Gossage, Craig Lefferts and Eric Show.
2. 1996 (91-71, Lost in NLDS): The 1996 Padres may have not had the postseason success that was hoped for, but they were a force to be reckoned with in the regular season. The star of this team was Ken Caminiti, who hit .326 with 40 HRs and took home the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, the only MVP any Padre has ever won. Along with that, second-year manager Bruce Bochy was able to help the team improve by 21 games and won the Manager of the Year award in ‘96. Other notable players who had big seasons for the Padres were outfielder Steve Finley and hall-of-famers Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman.
1. 1998 (98-64, Lost in WS): Coming in at no. 1 we have the 1998 Padres, which shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody. This team had the most regular season wins out of any Padres team and history, and is one of only two World Series teams in franchise history. On the offensive side, the team was lead by Greg Vaughn, who hit 50 home runs that year, and Mr. Padre himself, Tony Gwynn. On the mound, starting pitcher Kevin Brown was lights out with an 18-7 record and a 2.38 ERA. Closer Trevor Hoffman had a 50-save season which led the major leagues that year.