MLB Top 5: San Diego Padres Catchers and Managers

By Kevin Rakas

This is the first article in a series that looks at the five best players at each position for the San Diego Padres. In this installment are catchers and managers.

The story of the San Diego Padres begins not in the major leagues but more than 30 years before they became an expansion team. In the early part of the 20th century, West Coast travel was still difficult and expensive, and the Mississippi River was the boundary for professional baseball’s highest level. For those in the West, the highest level was the Pacific Coast League (PCL), a talented circuit that began in 1903 and allowed fans to see many talented players such as Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio before they moved on to greener pastures.

Although the Padres officially began play in 1936, they were one of the PCL’s original franchises, the Sacramento Solons. Through the years, the team moved to Tacoma, Washington, back to Sacramento, then to San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles (as the Hollywood Stars) and finally to San Diego and being named after the priests who called the city home in the 1800s. Following the 1957 season, the team was sold to C. Arnholt Smith, who owned the largest bank in the city and had financial interest in the National Iron Works ship building company.

Smith enlisted the services of Emil “Buzzie” Bavasi, the general manager of the Dodgers who helped create the team’s dynasty in Brooklyn during the early part of the 1950s. He was looking to become an owner, and Smith allowed him a nearly one-third share in the team in addition to his role as president. The American League was forced to expand by a lawsuit filed after the Athletics moved from Kansas City to Oakland, and the National League was set to add two teams in 1969 as well. The Royals and Seattle Pilots (who moved to Milwaukee and became the Brewers) were added by the A. L. and San Diego was among five teams bidding for an N. L. franchise. Bavasi’s former boss, Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley, was on the league’s expansion committee, and the Padres were named as a new franchise along with the Montreal Expos at the League meetings in May 1968.
The Padres built a solid nucleus of young players through the expansion process and the draft but had their growing pains. The team did not have its first winning record until its tenth season and finally made the playoffs six years afterward. The underperforming play was seen in attendance figures, and there was talk of relocation starting in the team’s second season. Washington, D.C., was a particular target, with businessman Joseph Danzansky pushing hard to by the Padres and move them across the country. While the talk of movement was ongoing, other talk was starting. Smith was being investigated for his practices, which included loaning money from his bank to other companies he controlled. When he finally sold the team, he was convicted of embezzlement and tax fraud and spent eight months in prison.

Smith agreed to sell to Danzansky, while Bavasi searched for other buyers who would keep the team in San Diego. The other owners opposed the move as well, and Danzansky’s bid lost traction. Another potential buyer, racetrack owner Marjorie Everett, was passed over because of her role in the bribery and conspiracy trial of a former judge and Illinois governor. Danzansky re-emerged as the lead bid, but he would have a fight from the city of San Diego, since he would be breaking the team’s stadium lease with the move. Finally, the situation was resolved when Smith sold the team to McDonald’s founder and chairman, Ray Kroc, who agreed to keep the team in its West Coast home.

During the Kroc era, the team won 84 games in 1978 and, three years later, the stadium was renamed Jack Murphy Stadium after the noted sportswriter who lobbied for its construction and had recently passed away. The team continued to build, although the owner was fined $100,000 (then a record) for mentioning names of players he would try to sign before they even became free agents. Behind the hitting of future Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn and an underrated pitching staff that included a top-notch bullpen, the club won 92 games and broke through for their first playoff appearance in 1984. After edging the Cubs in the NLCS, the Padres reached the World Series in their 16th season but fell to the Tigers in five games. Kroc didn’t get to see this success since he passed away in January, eight days after signing Goose Gossage to be the team’s closer.

Following Kroc’s death, control of the team passed to his wife, Joan, and his son-in-law, Ballard Smith, who was the club’s president. Joan Kroc put the team on the market and had a deal in place with Mariners owner George Argyros, provided he could sell his Seattle club, which never happened. The Padres wouldn’t make the playoffs for more than a decade, but they were competitive on the field. The bigger issues came among executives, when former National League President Charles “Chub” Feeney, was fired from his role as team president in 1988 after flipping off fans. Joan Kroc finally sold the team one week before the 1990 season to a 15-person investment group led by television producer Tom Werner.

The Werner group found out you need money to run a team, not just purchase one. The Padres fell in the standings during the five years the group was in charge, and the operating loss coupled with the players’ strike in 1994 signaled the end. After negotiations ceased with Malcolm Glazer (who would later buy the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Werner sold the team to software company owner and venture capitalist John Moores in 1994. The Padres saw their most sustained success during his 19 years at the helm. San Diego fans were treated to seven winning seasons and four division titles during the run. In 1996, the team reached the playoffs and appeared in the newly established Division Series. Two years later, the Padres set a franchise record with 98 wins then upset the Astros and Braves in the playoffs before getting swept by the Yankees in the World Series.

Although the Padres endured five losing seasons following their title loss, the team rebounded with four straight winning campaigns and two playoff appearances (both ended with losses in the Division Series) after Petco Park opened in 2004. Eight years later, Moores sold a minority interest to a group led by Jeff Moorad, a former player agent and CEO of the Diamondbacks with an option to purchase a majority stake in the future. Moorad was named vice chair and CEO and improved community support, scouting and television coverage. However, other owners had issues with the way Moorad did business (funding the buyout with television money) and forced the stop of the sale, leaving him with a 49 percent share.

Moorad resigned as Padres CEO and the leader of the minority ownership group, with investment company owner Ron Fowler taking his spot. He replaced most of the group with members of the O’Malley family, which used to own the Dodgers, and bought up enough shares to become the majority owner. The team treaded water during most of the ownership instability, going a decade without producing a winning record. Fowler stepped down as chairman and sold off some of his shares in 2020, making Peter Seidler, an equity firm boss and the grandson of Walter O’Malley, as the largest shareholder. During his brief tenure as owner, San Diego made the playoffs twice as a wild card entrant. In 2022, the Padres beat the Mets and Dodgers before falling to the Phillies in the NLCS. Seidler passed away following the 2023 season, with Eric Kutsenda, another of the partners in the equity firm, taking over as chairman and public face of the franchise.

The Best Catchers and Managers in San Diego Padres History

Catchers

Honorable Mentions – Chris Cannizzaro began his career with the Cardinals but had runs with two National League expansion teams during the 1960s, the Mets and the Padres. He was a reserve in New York, bounced around the minor leagues for two years and had a brief run in Pittsburgh and was traded to the Padres before the 1969 season. A solid first half at the plate led to Cannizzaro being selected as his team’s first All-Star (he didn’t play in the Midsummer Classic), but he slumped late in the season. After a similar offensive output the following year, his production fell off in 1971 and was traded to the Cubs. Cannizzaro spent three seasons with the Dodgers and returned for one final season with the Padres, finishing his four-year run (1969-71 and ’74) batting .236 in 292 games. He was a coach and minor league managers with the Braves and Angels and passed away due to lung cancer in 2016 at age 78.

Ramon Hernandez was a Venezuelan-born backstop who enjoyed a 15-year career with six teams. He had his greatest success with Oakland, where he earned his only All-Star selection in 2003. Before the following season, he was traded to San Diego and spent two years as a solid offensive presence in the Padres lineup, posting a combined .293-30-121 stat line in 210 games. Hernandez also had five hits, including a home run, during a loss to the Cardinals in the 2005 Division Series. He spent time with four other teams and retired after a trying out with the Royals in 2014. Hernandez was hired as a coach and interpreter for the Athletics before the 2023 season.

Austin Hedges was born in Southern California and played youth baseball on a team coached by his father that included five other future major leaguers. He was drafted by the Padres in the second round in 2011, played in the MLB All-Star Futures Game two years later and made his big-league debut in 2015. Hedges spent most of his time in San Diego fighting for the starting spot. He had some power (18 home runs in 2017) but was hurt by his average, which was .199 during his six-year Padres tenure (2015-20) and stands at .189 for his career. Hedges was traded to Cleveland, ending his time in San Diego with 49 home runs and 146 runs batted in. He played with the Pirates and Rangers and struck out in his only at-bat during the 2023 World Series. Hedges rejoined the Guardians the following year.

5. Nick Hundley – The son of an assistant football coach with Oregon state was drafted by the Padres in the second round in 2005. Due to platoon and multiple injuries, Hundley only had one season as the full-time starter. In 2013, he posted a .233-13-44 stat line and led the league in double plays by a catcher. A knee injury late in the season opened the door for others, and Hundley was traded to the Orioles the following year, finishing his Padres career with 392 hits, 47 home runs and 195 RBIs in 510 games over seven seasons (2008-14). After helping Baltimore reach the ALCS, he played two years each with Colorado and Texas before finishing his playing career in 2019. Hundley worked in the baseball operations department for Major League Baseball and is now a special assistant to the general manager of the Rangers.

4. Gene Tenace – The Pennsylvania native made a name for himself with the Athletics, winning three titles in eight seasons, including 1972, when he was named World Series MVP after hitting four homers and driving in nine runs against the Reds. However, Oakland owner Charley O. Finley and his penny-pinching ways angered many players, including Tenace, who signed with the Padres before the 1977 season. Although San Diego was nowhere near as successful as his former team, he continued to put up solid offensive numbers. “Steamboat” drove in at least 50 runs in each of his four seasons with the Padres (1977-80) and walked quite a bit as well, including a league-high 125 times in his first season with the club. He was traded to the Cardinals before the 1981 season in a deal that brought another catcher on this list to the Padres. Tenace finished his San Diego tenure as the all-time franchise leader in on-base percentage (.403) to go with 233 runs, 384 hits, 68 home runs and 239 RBIs in 573 games. He was a key reserve, helping St. Louis win the World Series in 1982 and retired after spending the following season with Pittsburgh. Tenace was a coach with several organizations for nearly 25 years. He had a stint as manager of the Blue Jays, posting a 19-14 record when former Padres outfielder Cito Gaston was sidelined with a herniated disc in 1991.

3. Fred Kendall – A second round pick of the Reds, he was blocked at the position by future Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, so he was left exposed in the expansion draft and selected by the Padres. Kendall spent a decade with San Diego in two stints (1969-76 and 79-80), posting solid production for the position while excelling at game calling and handling pitchers. Despite leading all catchers with 146 games played in 1976, he was traded to the Indians after the season and faced a similar move a year later when he was sent to the Red Sox along with future Hall of Fame closer Dennis Eckersley. Kendall returned to the Padres the following season and backed up Tenace for two years before he was released and then retired, finishing his time in San Diego with 516 hits, 28 home runs and 201 RBIs in 754 games. He was a minor league manager with the White Sox for four years and coached in the majors for three teams before retiring in 2007. His son, Jason, was a three-time All-Star during a 15-year major league career as a catcher.

2. Terry Kennedy – He is the son of Bob Kennedy, an outfielder and third baseman who had a 17-year major league career primarily with the White Sox and Indians. Kennedy was first round pick of the Cardinals in 1977 but, after three years as a backup, was shipped to the Cardinals in the deal that also included Tenace. He earned his first of three All-Star selections with the Padres during the strike-shortened 1981 season in which he batted a career-best .301 and led all catchers in double plays and runners caught stealing. Kennedy showed improved power and production over the next several years, posting a .295-21-97 stat line and setting career highs with 75 runs, 166 hits and 42 doubles in 1982 and winning his only silver slugger after hitting 17 home runs and driving in a personal-best 98 runs the following year.

Kennedy’s numbers regressed in 1984, but he had a strong showing in the playoffs, totaling eight hits and four RBIs and hitting a home run against the Tigers in the World Series. After the loss, the Padres fell out of contention and the catcher’s average fell as well, leading to a trade to the Orioles following the 1986 season. Kennedy ended his six-year run with the Padres (1981-85) ranked ninth in franchise history in hits (817), tied for ninth in doubles (158) and tenth in RBIs (424) to go with a .274 average, 308 runs, 76 homers and 1,217 total bases in 835 games. He made the All-Star team for the final time in his first season with Baltimore, and he played three more years with the Giants before he retired in 1991. Kennedy was a minor league coach and manager for half a dozen franchises as well as in the independent leagues, and he was named Baseball America’s Manager of the Year in the Minor Leagues while leading the Cubs’ Triple-A farm team in Iowa.

1. Benito Santiago – The Puerto Rican native had to overcome a childhood in which his father passing away following a truck accident and his mother abandoning him afterward. Santiago played shortstop in Little League but converted to catcher and became one of the most highly touted prospects in baseball in the mid-1980s. After a late-season debut in 1986, he showed he was worthy of the hype the following season, winning the Rookie of the Year Award and a silver slugger after batting .300 with 18 home runs and 79 RBIs, setting career highs with 164 hits, 33 doubles and 21 stolen bases. Of note was a 34-game hitting streak, which is the longest ever by a rookie, a catcher and a San Diego player. The following year, Santiago earned his first of three straight gold gloves and in 1989, he began a run of four straight All-Star selections.

Santiago tried to use his production to get a better contract, but the Padres took him to arbitration and won. The catcher responded by driving in a career-best 87 runs in 1991, but another pay dispute occurred. Even after Santiago won in arbitration, San Diego went into cost-cutting mode, and he signed with expansion Florida in 1993 and hit the first home run in Marlins history. He finished his seven-year run with the Padres (1986-92) with a .264 average, 312 runs, 758 hits, 124 doubles, 85 home runs, 375 RBIs and 1,167 total bases in 789 games. Over the final 11 seasons of his career, he played with eight teams, most notably San Francisco, where he earned an All-Star selection and was named MVP of the NLCS in 2002. Santiago finished his 20-year major league career in 2005 and played winter ball in his homeland. He received negative press two years later after his name was mentioned in the Mitchell Report as a player who received anabolic steroids, although he denied using them and never had a positive test. Santiago received one vote for the Hall of Fame in 2011 and dropped off the ballot.

Managers

Honorable Mentions – Preston Gomez was a shortstop who played professionally for 10 seasons and appeared in eight games in the major leagues with the Washington Nationals in 1944. He was a manger in Mexico and the minor leagues, then was a third base coach with the Dodgers for four years before being named the first manager in Padres history. Gomez oversaw the struggles of a young team, with the Padres losing 110 games in 1969 followed by 99 and 100 the next two years. After a 4-7 start in 1972 and a 180-316 mark overall, he was fired. Gomez joined the Astros as a coach the following year and managed for parts of two seasons before he was let go. He coached with the Cardinals, Dodgers again and Angels, and he also had a brief stint as manager of the Cubs in 1980. Gomez became a scout and assistant to the general manager with the Angels in 1985. He held those roles until 2008, when he sustained head injuries after being struck by a vehicle at a gas station. Gomez never recovered and passed away from his injuries the following year at age 85.

John McNamara was the son of an Irish immigrant who worked on railroads. He was a catcher during a 14-year minor league playing career, eight as a player-manager. McNamara began his major league career in 1968 as a coach with the Athletics in their first season after moving from Kansas City to Oakland. He had a brief stint a as manager the following year and led the team to a second-place finish before he was fired by volatile owner Charley Finley. After a year as a third base coach with the Giants, McNamara was hired to manage the Padres in 1974, the first year the team was owned by McDonald’s boss, Ray Kroc. Despite poor pitching and penny pinching, he lasted nearly four years (1974-77), amassing a 224-310 record before he was fired. “Mac” went on to lead four other teams, including the Angels twice. While he led the Reds to three straight winning seasons and a playoff berth in 1979, his best season by far was 1986 when, under his watch, the Red Sox won 95 games and came within one out of a World Series victory before the Mets rallied and won the final two games to take the title. McNamara spent time as a Mariners scout and an Angels catching instructor and had one final brief stint as California’s manager in 1996 before retiring with an 1,160-1,233 mark in 19 seasons. He passed away in 2020 at age 88.

Greg Riddoch spent five years as a minor league player, eight more as a manager and two as minor league director with the Reds before joining the Padres as a coach in 1987. He took over the San Diego club in the second half of the 1990 season and led the team to winning records in each of the next two years. Despite a 78-72 mark in 1992, he was fired with 12 games left in the season and finished his only major league managerial stint with a 200-194 record. Riddoch was a third base coach with the Rays and a director of player development with the Brewers before returning for a third stint managing the Eugene Emeralds, giving him 10 seasons in total with the Oregon-based farm club. He was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.

Andy Green was a utility player for 11 years, which included four in the major leagues with the Diamondbacks and Mets in the mid-2000s that totaled 140 games. He spent three years as a minor league manager and one more as third base coach with Arizona before he was named manager in San Diego in 2016. Although he embraced analytics, Green was unable to get the Padres to improve in the standings. After four losing seasons, he was fired late in the 2019 campaign, finishing with a 274-366 record. Green spent one year as the bench coach of the Cubs, and he is now the Senior Vice President for Player Development with the Mets.

Jayce Tingler was a Missouri-born outfielder who played four minor league seasons before turning to coaching. He spent more than a decade in a variety of roles with the Rangers from minor league coach and instructor to major league coach and assistant general manager. Tingler was named manager of the Padres in 2020 and finished second in the Manager of the Year voting after leading the team to its first playoff appearance in 14 years during the COVID-shortened campaign. The following year, San Diego had a late collapse and missed the playoff, leading to Tingler being fired after posting a 116-106 record in two years. He is now the bench coach of the Twins.

5. Jack McKeon – He had a 10-year minor league career as a catcher, then spent another decade as a minor league manager before he was brought in to lead the Royals to what was then a team-record 88 wins in 1973. McKeon sandwiched a stint with the Athletics in between two more seasons in the minors before joining the Padres as assistant general manager in 1980 and rising to the lead spot later in the year. He spent the next decade being known as “Trader Jack” and making all kinds of deals to try and improve the team. McKeon added manager to his list of roles in 1988 and had two winning seasons, including an 89-73 mark in 1989. He resigned as manager in the middle of the following season, finishing with a 193-164 record, and was fired as general manager at the end of the year. After two years out of baseball, McKeon spent eight years with the Reds and scout, senior advisor and manager. He had his best run after taking over the Marlins in 2003, leading the team to three winning records and a World Series title in his first season. McKeon was hired for the last time when, at age 80, he finished the 2011 season with Florida. He officially retired after 33 seasons as a manager, including 16 in the major leagues, amassing a 1,050-990 record.

4. Bob Melvin enjoyed a 10-year major league career as a catcher but has been far more successful as a coach. Following his 1995 retirement, he became a scout, assistant general manager and coach with the Brewers. Melvin was the bench coach with the Tigers and Diamondbacks, helping Arizona win the World Series in 2001. Two years later, he was hired in his first managerial role with the Mariners, which lasted just two years. Melvin returned to the Diamondback as manager in 2005 and led the team to the NLCS two years later. He was fired in 2009 and had a nearly two-year break before spending the next 11 years with his hometown team in Oakland, leading the Athletics to seven winning seasons and six playoff appearances. Melvin left his longtime spot and moved down the coast to San Diego in 2022. Despite undergoing prostate surgery and dealing with COVID-19, he led the Padres to an 89-73 record and helped them reach the NLCS. The team went 82-80 in 2023, but Melvin left and signed a three-year deal to return to the Bay Area and manage the Giants. Entering 2024, he has a 1,517-1,425 record and eight playoff appearances in 20 seasons.

3. Harry “Bud” Black – He had a 15-year major league career as a left-handed starting pitcher, winning 121 games with five teams, primarily the Royals. A member of Kansas City’s 1985 championship team, Black was a special assistant and minor league coach for four seasons with the Indians, then was the pitching coach for the Angels for seven more, helping Anaheim win the World Series in 2002. He was named manager of the Padres for the 2007 season, with the team missing out on the postseason after losing a one-game playoff for the final wild card spot. Three years later, San Diego won 90 games, and he was named Manager of the Year, but the team finished one game behind the Braves for the wild card and two back of the Giants in the division. The Padres didn’t finish with a winning record for the rest of Black’s nine-year tenure, and he was fired in 2015, ending his time with a 649-713 mark. After one season as a special assistant to the general manager with the Angels, he was hired as manager of the Rockies in 2017 and led the club to playoff appearances in his first two seasons. Black is in his eighth year with Colorado, but the club has not been close to .500 since 2018.

2. Dick Williams – He had a 13-year major league career as a player, primarily as a third baseman and outfielder. After two years as coach and manager in Boston’s minor league, the Red Sox made Williams the youngest manager in the major leagues at age 37 in 1967. He spent the next 30 years managing six big-league teams and leading five squads to the playoffs. Williams was a no-nonsense tactician, and his ways worked early in his career with the Red Sox winning the pennant in his first year and the Athletics winning back-to-back championships in 1972-73. After falling out with mercurial Oakland owner Charley Finley, Williams spent parts of three seasons with the Angles and five with the Expos (winning 90 games twice) before joining the other 1969 expansion team, the Padres, in 1982.

Under Williams (and McKeon as general manager), San Diego broke through with four straight .500 or better seasons in a row after having only one it the first 13 years of the club’s existence. The manager’s gruff nature worked with the young squad, and the Padres improved greatly after several veterans were added in 1984. San Diego overcame a slow start to make both the playoffs and the World Series for the first time. Despite the success and another winning season, the following year, Williams’ alcohol issues and clashing with players led to his firing, and he finished his San Diego tenure with a 337-311 record. He spent parts of three years with the Mariners in his final major league managerial stop, ending his 21-year career with a 1.571-1,451 record, four pennants and two championships. Williams was a scout with the Padres, an advisor with the Yankees and an analyst for the Las Vegas minor league team following his coaching career. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 2007 and passed away four years later at age 82.

1. Bruce Bochy – He was the son of a Sergeant Major in the U.S. Army and born on an airbase in France. Bochy spent nearly a decade in the major leagues as a reserve catcher, including a five-year stint with San Diego. He was a minor league coach and manager for five seasons before the Padres made him their third base coach in 1993 and promoted him to the manager spot two years later. At age 40, he became the youngest manager in the majors at the time and was the first former San Diego player to manage the team. Bochy led his club to 91 wins and just their second playoff appearance and first in 12 years in 1996, winning the Manager of the Year Award in the process. Two years later, the Padres won a franchise record 98 games and reached the World Series for the second time in their history, although they were swept by the Yankees.

The team cut payroll after the pennant win and suffered through five losing seasons before going 87-75 in 2004. Although that record was not enough to get to the postseason, Bochy led the Padres to playoff berth in each of the next two, including an 88-win campaign in 2006. After he was denied a contract extension, he was hired by the Giants, finishing his 12-year Padres tenure (1995-2006) with a 951-975 record, four playoff appearances and a pennant. Bochy spent the next 13 years with San Diego’s rival in Northern California, winning more than 1,000 games, posting seven winning seasons and leading the Giants to four playoff appearances and three World Series titles in a five-year span. He retired in 2019 and took a front office role with San Francisco for the next three years, but he came back to manage Texas in 2023. Proving that even after 25 years he still knows how to motivate a team, Bochy led the Rangers to 90 wins and a playoff spot and finished second in the Manager of the Year vote. Texas was stellar in the playoffs, winning all 11 of its road games en route to a victory over Arizona in the World Series for the franchise’s first title. Following the successful season, Bochy became the first manager to lead three different teams to pennants.

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San Diego Padres Catchers and Managers
San Diego Padres First and Third Basemen
San Diego Padres Second Basemen and Shortstops
San Diego Padres Outfielders
San Diego Padres Pitchers