Padres | narcissism

Opening Day Roster:

Let's review the Padres' first nine years of existence. First, their on-the-field performance. From 1969 to 1977, they finished 4th once, 5th two times and 6th (last) 6 times. They lost 100 or more games 4 times, 90 or more another 2 times, and had never finished at .500 or better. All in all, not a very good record. Now, lets examine what, in baseball terms, could be called their "intangibles". It starts with those awful mustard-colored uniforms they dressed in for most of these years - tops, and bottoms. Then, after the 1973 season it looked like the team was going to be sold and moved to Washington, D.C. So sure were the signs, that Topps hedged their bets and initially printed many of the Padre cards in their 1974 set as being affiliated with "Washington, National League". Ray Kroc, former McDonald's owner, bought the team in time to keep them in San Diego for 1974 and beyond. Great news, right? Well, in their home opener on April 9, they were down 9-2 to the Astros, when Mr. Kroc grabbed the P.A. microphone, and announced to the crowd "I suffer with you". A streaker ran across the field as he did so, and he continued "get that streaker out of here - throw him in jail!". But he wasn't done. He went on: "I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that we've outdrawn the Dodgers....the bad news is I've never seen such stupid ballplaying in my life!" Well!

1978 started off par for the course - through mid-June, they were 29-37 and battling Atlanta for last place. Kroc told the press he was thoroughly disgusted with the team. Then, something happened. Their pitching staff, rotation and pen, become one of the best in baseball. From June 21 to August 27, they went 40-24 - the best record in baseball during that time. 21 wins by Gaylord Perry, 37 saves from Rollie Fingers and great years by Dave Winfield, Gene Richards and Ozzie Smith wound up propelling them to their first above-.500 finish: they went 84-78, good for 4th place, just 11 games behind the Dodgers.

Not much help was on the way from the farm. Tim Flannery was at A Reno, and future major league manager and coach Larry Rothschild was at AA Amarillo.

Late in spring training, manager Alvin Dark was fired after making a number of confounding line-up and position changes, and for being what today would be termed a control-freak, creating an uneasy atmosphere in the clubhouse. He was replaced by Roger Craig. Craig's coaching staff included Don Williams at 1st, recently-retired Doug Rader at 3rd, Billy Herman with the hitters, Chuck Estrada with the pitchers, Phil Roof in the bullpen and Whitey Wietelmann on the bench.

Dave Freisleben, SP:

Dave began the year in the rotation. After a single start, he worked for a week in the pen, before getting plugged back into the rotation. With an 0-2 record and a 6.53 ERA, he went back to the pen to stay at the end of April. After just 6 appearances without much success, he was traded to the Indians on June 22 for minor leaguer Bill Laxton.

Randy Jones, SP:

In 1975 Randy burst onto the scene with 20 wins, and he followed that in 1976 with 22 in a Cy Young Award-winning campaign. Arm surgery in the off-season and subsequent nerve issues caused him to spend almost 2 months on the DL in 1977. He was inconsistent thoughout the year in 1978, but even when he was good his teammates didn't support him - case in point was a 10-inning complete game he tossed on June 22 against the Braves - he gave up 2 earned runs but lost 5-3. He wound up with a 13-14 record, but a very nice 2.88 ERA.

Bob Owchinko, SP:

The National League's Rookie Pitcher of the Year in 1977, Bob entered 1978 as a key component in the San Diego rotation. He was inconsistent much of the year, but from June through August he went 5-1 and shaved more than a run off his ERA. Ultimately, he finished 10-13 with a 3.56 ERA. On June 17, he hurled a 7-hit shutout against the Phillies.

Bob Shirley, SP:

After a fine rookie campaign in 1977, Bob started the year in the rotation. He stayed there through mid-July, when his record and ERA resulted in a move to the pen for the remainder of the year. He finished the season at 8-11 with 5 saves and a 3.69 ERA.

Gaylord Perry, SP:

Acquired in a trade with Texas in January, Gaylord wound up winning the NL Cy Young Award, with his 21 wins leading the league, and his 154 strikeouts leading the Padres. His 2.73 ERA was 6th in the league. He threw 2 4-hitters and won 6 consecutive starts in September. He made no denials as to his somewhat unorthodox pitching habits (he intimated he hadn't really been able to load the ball in S.D. until Dave Roberts came up because he was the only one who seemed able to reliably catch it), but umpires and players in the National League didn't seem to give him as much grief as they had while he pitched in the junior circuit.

John D'Acquisto, RP:

After several years with mixed results as a starter in St. Louis and San Francisco, John spent 1978 in the San Diego pen, and had a career year. He posted a 4-3 record with 10 saves, a 2.13 ERA, and 104 strikeouts in 93 innings.

Mickey Lolich, RP:

The former Tiger star and 1968 World Series MVP had left baseball after 1976. However, he had an attorney who also happened to do work for Bob Owchinko. One thing led to another, and Mickey came out of retirement to sign with San Diego for 1978. He looked good in the spring, and got off to a good start once the season started - 5 appearances, 8.1 innings, 1.08 ERA. On April 23, he went on the DL and had surgery to repair torn knee ligaments. He returned on July 12, and finished the year at 2-1, with a save and a 1.56 ERA. He won a spot start against the Mets on August 26.

Dave Wehrmeister, RP:

In his third and final season trying to stick it with the Padres, Dave made 4 relief appearances, and earned a victory, before being sent to Hawaii on May 16. He spent the rest of the year in the minors and was traded to the Yankees in 1979.

Dan Spillner, RP:

Dan made 17 relief appearances, going 1-0 with a 4.56 ERA, before being traded to the Indians on June 14th for Dennis Kinney.

Rollie Fingers, CL:

The prototype for the modern closer, Rollie continued to dominate hitters late in games in his second year with San Diego. In '78, he earned 37 saves to go with a 2.52 ERA. He struck out 72 while walking only 29 across 67 appearances (most on the team) covering 107.1 innings . His 37 saves tied Clay Carroll's then-N.L. record for most in a single season.

Bob Davis, C:

The 4 year Padre veteran began the year as a reserve catcher who, because of his defensive skills, was used to start against running teams like the Pirates, Cardinals and Astros. He made it into a total of just 19 games, hitting only .200, before being sent to Hawaii in exchange for Dave Roberts on May 31.

Rick Sweet, C:

After hitting .323 at Hawaii in 1977, Rick made his major league debut on April 8 as a pinch-hitter in San Francisco. He assumed starting catching duties soon after, and until Dave Roberts arrived held the job more or less to himself with Tenace getting an occasional start. Once Roberts came up, the two platooned behind the plate. After the break, the bulk of the work fell to Tenace and Roberts with Rick assuming a traditional back-up role. In mid-September, Rick fractured his wrist and missed the last few weeks of the season. In 88 games he hit .221 with 11 RBI.

Gene Tenace, C:

Gene started 1978 seeing fairly regular duty behind the plate, but as April turned to May, he was moved to 1st full time, principally because his defense as catcher was considered a liability. He struggled at the plate early on, batting barely .200 as late as the end of May. In mid-June, he was the subject of a Ray Kroc tirade - the owner said Tenace was the most overrated player on the club and needed to see an eye doctor because he was unable to tell a ball from a strike. Having played for Charlie Finley, Gene seemed unaffected. When Broderick Perkins was brough up in early July, he shifted back behind the plate for the rest of the year. His 16 HR and 61 RBI were each second on the team to Dave Winfield.

Chuck Baker, IF:

Chuck made his major league debut on on opening day in San Francisco as a defensive replacement for Ozzie Smith at short (it isn't often you read those words). He was used for the rest of the year as a reserve infielder, primarily at second base, and pinch-hitter.

Bill Almon, IF:

Alvin Dark's attempt to play Bill at 2nd during spring training was one of a number of moves which led to his dismissal. Almon, a natural SS, moved to 3rd for 1978 to accomodate the arrival of Ozzie Smith. It wasn't his favorite thing, but he recognized the Padres had something special in Smith. He hit at or near .300 during the first half, but his batting tailed off after the break - he wound up hitting just .252 and was frustrated with the Padres because they kept changing their mind as to whether they wanted him to hit for power or average. In September, he yielded significant playing time to Barry Evans.

Mike Champion, IF:

Mike began his 3rd season in San Diego as an infield reserve. He was sent to Hawaii on June 6, a couple days after the Padres signed Fernando Gonzalez. He was later recalled in September, and saw his final major league action on September 24, going 0-3 as the starting San Diego second baseman at Los Angeles.

Gene Richards, IF:

Gene began the year at 1st, but went to the outfield when Tenace moved to 1st on a regular basis at the beginning of May. Thereafter he platooned in center with George Hendrick for a time, before taking over left field for good in mid-June. He hit .308, tied with Dave Winfield for best on the club, and stole 37 bases, second to Ozzie Smith. His 12 triples tied him for the third most in baseball. He had such a good season, he was being floated as trade bait at year's end, but once the Padres traded Oscar Gamble to Texas in October he was assured of coming back.

Derrel Thomas, IF:

Nominally an infielder, Derrel was the Padres' universal reserve in 1978. He played 2nd, 3rd and 1st, and was used heavily in center, particularly as a defensive replacement. In 128 games, he batted only .227 with 26 RBI and 11 stolen bases. He was placed on the DL on July 3 after suffering a hamstring injury, and returned to action on July 22.

topps1978-30F--3dcb505a8e38f74fcf6bd9020d9aeefacd06813c.jpg

George Hendrick, OF:

George began 1978 where he had left off in 1977 - starting in center field. He was traded to the Cardinals on May 26 for Eric Rasmussen.

Ozzie Smith, IF:

After just a single season at A ball in Walla Walla, Alvin Dark was bound and determined to make Smith the Padres' SS for 1978 and beyond. It was the one pre-season move he made that paid off. The future hall-of-famer made the Padres' roster in 1978, and had his major league debut on opening day, April 7, as the starting shortstop. He held the job for the rest of the year and led the team with 40 stolen bases.

Oscar Gamble, OF:

The king of the big '70s afros signed as a free agent following the 1977 season for 6 years and 2.85 million. He started the year in left but moved to right in mid-June where he remained more or less the starter for the rest of the year. Through late May, he average hovered only a bit above .200, and he heard it from the San Diego fans. He went on a tear after the break, getting his average as high as .297 by the end of July, before it settled to .275 by the end of the season. His power numbers never were what the Padres' expected, though. After the season, with 5 years left on his deal, they sent him to the Rangers with Dave Roberts for Mike Hargrove, Bill Fahey and Kurt Bevacqua.

Don Reynolds, OF:

A former star running back at Oregon, Don made the opening day roster as an outfield reserve. He made his major league debut on April 7 as a pinch-hitter in San Francisco. He went to the DL on April 26 after getting struck in the left eye by a ball hit off a fungo bat by Rollie Fingers. He returned on May 12, and went on to hit .253 in 57 games.

Jerry Turner, OF:

Jerry was the Padres' most versatile outfield reserve in 1978 - he saw action at all three positions, and managed to hit .280 with 8 HR (5 of the pinch variety) and 37 RBI in limited action. On September 6 in Atlanta, he went 3-for-4 with a HR, a run scored and 3 RBI to key the Padres' 5-3 win.

Dave Winfield, OF:

Dave is second only to Tony Gwynn among the greatest players in team history. The team's first true superstar, in 1978 he started more than 70 games in both right and center field. Despite fighting knee tendinitis most the year, he led the team with 24 HR and 97 RBI, and tied with Gene Richards for the team-best average of .308. He was named the first team captain in the franchise's history at the start of the season. On July 10 in Wrigley, he went 3-for-4 with 2 HR, 6 RBI and 2 runs scored.

In-Season Moves:

Mark Lee, RP:

Mark was called up from Hawaii when Mickey Lolich went to the DL on April 23. He made his major league debut on the same day, pitching 1.1 innings of scoreless relief against the Braves. On the year, he made 56 appearances (second only to Rollie Fingers among pitchers) and earned 2 saves to go with a 5-1 record.

Tucker Ashford, IF:

Summoned from Hawaii on May 1, Tucker was utilized as an all-around infield reserve, mainly at third and second. In 75 games, he hit .245 with 3 HR and 26 RBI. On May 24 against the Dodgers, he went 3-for-5 with a HR, run scored and 3 RBI.

Eric Rasmussen, SP:

Acquired from the Cardinals on May 26 for George Hendrick, Eric entered the starting rotation and stayed there for the rest of the year. His streak of wins in 7 straight starts in June and July contributed mightily to the Padres' turnaround. On July 8 in Atlanta he shut out the Braves on 3 hits, and on August 27 at home he shut out the Mets on 6 hits. He compiled a record of 12-10 to go with 59 Ks and a 4.06 ERA.

Dave Roberts, C:

Dave was brought up from Hawaii on May 31 in exchange for Bob Davis. After getting significant starting time in June, he was used as a reserve catcher until September 18, when he went on the DL for the rest of the year with a broken finger. He was traded to Texas with Oscar Gamble after the season.

Fernando Gonzalez, IF:

Fernando was acquired off waivers from the Pirates on June 4. He brought stability and consistency to 2nd base, and was the Padres' starter there for the rest of the year. On August 21 in Philadelphia, the career low-.230s hitter went 4-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. On August 16 in New York, he and Bob Owchinko combined for 2 pick-off plays at second in the same inning, which was generally considered a record at the time.

Dennis Kinney, RP:

Dennis was obtained on June 14 in a trade with the Indians for Dan Spillner. He made 7 largely ineffective relief appearances before being sent to Hawaii when Derrel Thomas came off the DL on July 22.

Mark Wiley, RP:

Mark was brought up from Hawaii on June 22 when Dave Freisleben was traded to the Indians for a minor leaguer. He made 3 relief appearances and one spot start (for which he earned a win) before being sent back to Hawaii on July 12 when Mickey Lolich came off the DL. After his first 3 appearances, including his start, Mark sported a 1.29 ERA. In his last appearance, however, he surrended 4 earned runs in just 0.2 innings, raising his ERA to 5.87.

Jim Beswick, OF:

Jim was called up from Hawaii on August 9. He made his major league debut that same day - starting in right, he went 0-for-4. After another 15 appearances, he saw his final major league action on September 30 against the Dodgers - he singled as a pinch-hitter off Bob Welch.

Broderick Perkins, IF:

Summoned from Hawaii on July 3, Broderick made his major league debut on the 7th as a pinch-hitter and defensive replacement at first in Atlanta. He won National League Player of the Week for his first full week in the majors, and in his first 13 games he carried a .320 average with a HR, 8 RBI and 5 doubles. He quickly came back to Earth via an 0-for-19 slump, and finished the year at .240 with 2 HR and 33 RBI. He missed some time in August with strained knee ligaments, but was the starting first baseman for most of September. On July 13 at Wrigley, in just his 5th big-league game, he went 3-for-5 with a HR, a run scored and 2 RBI.

Jim Wilhelm, OF:

Called up in September, Jim made his major league debut on the 4th starting in center field in Atlanta - he connected for a 2-RBI double in the 5th inning. He made another 9 appearances before the end of the year.

Barry Evans, IF:

Called up with the expansion of rosters in September after hitting .310 at Amarillo, Barry made his major league debut on the 4th - he started at 3rd in Atlanta and went 3-for-6 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. He got most of the team's starts at third base during the last month of the season.

Steve Mura, RP:

Another September call-up, Steve made his major league debut on the 5th - he threw an inning of mop-up work in Atlanta. He made another 2 relief appearances as well as two spot starts in September, and was credited with the loss in each.

Juan Eichelberger, RP:

Called up in September, Juan made 3 relief appearances, including his major league debut on the 7th in which he threw a single scoreless inning in Cincinnati.

Tony Castillo, C:

Tony was called up in September and made his major league debut on the 22nd as a defensive replacement behind the plate in Los Angeles. His only major league hit was an RBI single on the 29th against the Dodgers. He saw his final major league action on October 1 as a defensive replacement against the Dodgers.