San Diego Padres - The Reagan Years (1980-1989)

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1980

Decade

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Titles:

Top Padres Players of the Eighties

1984 NL Pennant (Beat Cubs in ALCS, lost to Tigers in World Series)

Pitchers:

Ballpark:

Eric Show (17.3) - 50

Jack Murphy Stadium (was San Diego Stadium)

Ed Whitson (10.14) - 34

Andy Hawkins (5.27) - 32

Team Name:

Dave Dravecky (12.35) - 27

Padres

Goose Gossage (4.44) - 23

Tim Lollar (2.52) - 22

Owner:

Gary Lucas (4.11) - 18

Ray Kroc

Lance McCullers (5.25) - 15

Dewey Hoyt (1.51) - 14

General Managers:

Mark Davis (8.1) - 14

Bob Fontaine (1980)

Bruce Hurst (6.49) - 10

Jack McKeon (1980-1989)

Craig Lefferts (4.37) - 7

Managers:

Catchers:

Jerry Coleman (1980)

Terry Kennedy (16.96) - 49

Frank Howard (1981)

Benito Santiago (8.75) - 23

Dick Williams (1982-1985)

Steve Boros (1986)

First Basemen:

Larry Bowa (1987-1988)

Steve Garvey (1.41) - 17

Jack McKeon (1988-1989)

John Kruk (6.22) - 12

Hall of Famers:

Second Basemen:

Goose Gossage

Alan Wiggins (7.79) - 24

Tony Gwynn

Robbie Alomar (8.81) - 19

Ozzie Smith

Tim Flannery (9.41) - 12

Rookie of the Year:

ShortStop:

Benito Santiago (1987)

Gary Templeton (10.47) - 43

Ozzie Smith (6.06) - 20

MVP

None

Third Base:

Luis Salazar (6.7) - 15

No Hitters:

Graig Nettles (5.89) - 14

None

Randy Ready (7,86) - 12

Cy Young:

Outfield:

Mark Davis (1989)

Tony Gwynn (35.55) - 82

Kevin McReynolds (12.43) - 32

Notable Events:

Gene Richards (11.03) - 29

Carmelo Martinez (9.72) - 25

1980 - Jerry Coleman becomes Padres manager and turns his minions loose.

Ruppert Jones (6.93) - 23

Three Padres steal over fifty bases, a record, but the Padres still finish at 73-89.

Sixto Lezcano (6.25) - 14

By the way, the three are Gene Richards, 61, Ozzie Smith, 57, and

Marvell Wynne (0.09) - 11

Jerry Mumphrey, 52.

Jerry Mumphrey (3.63) - 10

1981 - Catcher Terry Kennedy, 25, is acquired from the Cardinals for

Notable Events:

Rollie Fingers, Gene Tenace and Bob Shirley in a ten player deal

1986 - Righty Ed Whitson, 31, is re-acquired from the Yankees in a two

1981 - OF Kevin McReynolds, 21, the 6th overall pick in the draft, debuts in '83

player deal. He had signed with New York as a free agent, but couldn't

This is one of only two first round picks that weren't a dud for the

handle the NY pressure. Whitson became the poster boy for what

Padres in the Eighties

was wrong with George Steinbrenner and the Yankees.

Another ex-Padre player, Dave Winfield, was exhibit 1A

1981 - Righty Eric Show, 25, is a rookie. He was an 18th round pick in '78

in the case against the Yankee owner.

1982 - C Benito Santiago, 17, is an IFA, he debuts in '86

1987 - This was an era when Padres GM's were into the BlockBuster Deal.

Jack McKeon made a couple in 1987 and one more in 1990.

1982 - In what turns out to be a terrible trade, the Padres deal future HOF SS

Joe McIlvaine made another in '91. The first of these was an eight

Ozzie Smith to the Cards for SS Gary Templeton, 26, in a five player deal

player deal with the Mets that sent star OF Kevin McReynolds to

New York in exchange for slugging 3B Kevin Mitchell, 25, and

1982 - The Padres hire Dick Williams, managerial genius.

former number one overall pick (in the '84 draft) Shawn Abner, 21.

This move signals that San Diego is serious about winning some ballgames

Considering San Diego's history with overall number one picks,

. OF Tony Gwynn, 22, debuts - helping Williams look like a genius.

this deal doomed Abner.

Gwynn, a future HOFer, was a 3rd round pick in the '81 draft

1987 - Kevin Mitchell, who isn't working out in San Diego is dealt to the

1983 - C Sandy Alomar, 17, is an IFA, he debuts in '88

Giants in a big seven player deal.

Reliever Mark Davis, 26, is the best player that the Padres get back.

1983 - Righty Ed Whitson, 28, is obtained from Cleveland in a three player deal

1988 - Righty Andy Benes, 21, is the first overall pick in the draft.

1984 - OF Carmelo Martinez, 23, is obtained from the Cubs in a three team deal

He debuts in '89

He's one of only two first round picks in the decade that's not a washout

1984 - After finishing at .500 twice under Wiliams, the Padres take the next

and he's the best of the group of overall first picks in San Diego's history.

step up and have their second winning season in history with a 92-70 mark.

In the process, they win the Division and the NL pennant before being

1988 - GM Jack McKeon names Jack McKeon manager.

outclassed by the Tigers in the World Series.

Jack was on OK GM, but he was a real difference maker as a manager.

Home grown Alan Wiggins steals 70 bases, Tony Gwynn bats .351, Kevin

He wears both hats in '88 and '89.

McReynolds and Carmelo Martinez hit 33 homers between them and

Eric Show and Mark Thurmond win 29 between them.

1988 - San Diego had gone way south in the standings in '86 and '87

The club contains a bunch of golden oldies who contribute to the title:

and it was due to the pitching as they gave up a hundred more runs

1B Steve Garvey, 35; 3B Graig Nettles, 39; and relief ace Goose Gossage, 32.

in '86 than they did in '85 and then gave up another forty more in '87.

These guys had been thru the wars many times before.

The Padres went back up over .500 in '88 as they straightened out

their pitching yielding a whopping 180 runs less in '88 than '87.

1984 - San Diego finished .500 or better from '82 thru '85. There wasn't that

The interesting thing is that it was pretty much the same guys on the staff

much of a difference between the four seasons runs-wise for the Padres.

in both '87 and '88. They all, en masse, got a whole lot better in '88.

In '84, San Diego had their best runs scored total in the stretch, 686,

Maybe McKeon, the manager's, handling of the staff had something

but it wasn't that much higher than their worst, 650 in '85, during the period.

to do with the improvement.

Their 634 runs given up in '84 wasn't horrifically lower than the high number in

those years of 658 in '82 and was actually twelve runs more yielded than in '85.

1989 - Lefty Bruce Hurst, 31, is signed as a free agent from Boston.

The Padres were serious about winning again.

1984 - Based on runs totals, the Padres worked out to only an 87-75 mark.

He accounts for their improvement from '88 to '89

Usually, when you over achieve like that, it's the bullpen that makes the

difference because you won the close ones and San Diego had a good pen

1989 - San Diego wins 89 games. The second best season in Padres

with Gossage, Lefferts, and Dravecky in '84

history to date. They contended, finishing only three games out of first.

The club was led by starters Whitson and Hurst, relief ace Mark Davis

1985 - 2B Robbie Alomar, 18, is an IFA, he debuts in '88

who had 44 saves and a 1.85 ERA, thirty three year old 1B Jack Clark

who had been picked up from the Yankees in a five player deal

1985 - 2B Carlos Baerga, 16, is an IFA, he debuts in '90

that featured young righty Lance McCullers, and catcher Benito

Santiago, who was a force of nature behind the plate for the Padres.

1985 - Dick Williams is fired after the season. A mistake.

He's one manager that made a difference but could be a bit outspoken.