A belated Merry Christmas to all in the Friar Hood community. I hope all had an enjoyable holiday and are looking forward to a splendid New Year. As a Padres fan I am anticipating a great 2011 for the Friars.

With reports surfacing the Friars have signed former Colorado Rockie OF Brad Hawpe to man 1B, Friars GM Jed Hoyer has addressed another of the club’s needs. It would seem his off-season construction of the 2011 Padres is near completion. So instead of handicapping the 5^th starters race or discussing the utility IF market, I’ve decided to go in a different direction today. Besides, after last week’s piece on the backup catching market was blown up by Hoyer’s acquisition of Rob Johnson from the Mariners, I’d rather not tempt fate again by trying to guess who might back up Jason Bartlett and Orlando Hudson next year.

Instead I am going to list my top 12 favorite Friars of all time. A little background info is needed first. I attended my first Padres game in person at the old Jack Murphy stadium in 1983 at the ripe old age of 6. I was just getting into baseball at the time and I was as much a Baltimore Orioles fan as I was a Padres fan. In fact, I made my dad buy me an Orioles hat (you know the one with the orange bill and the smiling, cartoon oriole) at my first game. I already had a Padre cap that my dad had purchased for me before going to the game. I still hold a spot in my heart for the Orioles even though I am a fervent Friar follower today.

In essence, it needs to be understood that my earliest memories of watching the Padres was from the early 1980’s. As a result, no Padres player that played with the club prior to that time made my list. Sorry Randy Jones; it’s nothing personal.

Remember also that this is a list of my favorite players and in no way should be mistaken for the players I feel are the best or most popular of all time. My personal experiences as well as childhood nostalgia will factor in heavily as you will see.

So, the introduction is in and now it’s time to begin. First I want to mention a player whom I considered but missed my list.

Sterling Hitchcock

Hitch played 4 full seasons (1997 – 2000) and parts of two others (2001 and 2004) as a Friar. His career record while in San Diego was just 34 – 42 and he recorded an ERA of 4.47. If this were a list of the Padres best players then I doubt Hitchcock makes it into the top 50 but nonetheless, he just missed making my top 12 favorite players. Why is that?

I remember Sterling very fondly for one reason and one game; Game 4 of the 1998 Divisional Series against the Astros. Hitchcock was brilliant in out-pitching future Hall-of-Famer Randy Johnson. Hitchcock tossed 6 innings, allowing 3 hits and a run while striking out 11 Astros. The Padres would go on to win the game 6 – 1.

I was at this game and this was the most excitement I’ve ever experienced in person at a sporting event. When PH John Van Der Wal put the game out of reach with a 2-run triple in the bottom of the eighth, I didn’t think I could scream any louder. Then the bells began; Hell’s Bells that is. Hell’s Bells was/is the song that always accompanied Trevor Hoffman’s entry to the game. As the bells tolled I didn’t think Jack Murphy/Qualcomm would survive the shaking that 65,000 fans were giving the stadium. It was awesome and I’ll always remember Hitch for his performance in this game.

Now on to the list:

12. Rod Beck

“Shooter” only spent a little more than a season in San Diego. In 2003, the Padres finished in last place in the NL West. Trevor Hoffman made only 9 appearances that season before getting hurt and missing the balance of the season. Beck was signed to fill in for the all-star closer.

Beck had been one of the best stoppers in the majors while a member of the Giants for 7 years and the Cubs for 1. He then spent a couple of seasons as a set-up reliever with the Red Sox before sitting out the entire 2002 year.

No one knew what to expect from “Shooter” but the veteran closer didn’t disappoint. In his prime he was a menacing sight with his long hair and handle bar mustache along with a big arm. By 2003, Beck wasn’t the same flame-throwing hurler he had been but his look was still there. He used guts and guile to save 20 games for the Friars.

He wasn’t Hoffman but I always appreciated Beck for his contributions to the team in 2003. He couldn’t sustain that production in 2004 and he drifted out of the major leagues in August of that year. Sadly, Beck passed away just 3 years later.

11. Craig Lefferts

Lefferts was just another lefty set-up reliever but he ranks 11^th on my list. He played 5 full years and parts of 2 others in San Diego compiling a 42 – 40 record with 64 saves.

His best year, and most surprising, may have been in 1992 when he actually moved from the bullpen to the rotation. He finished 13 – 9 with a 3.69 ERA in 163.1 IP. Prior to that Lefferts had only made 5 starts in his career and that was as a rookie in 1983 with the Cubs.

Lefferts was also involved in one of the more memorable trades in Padres history. On July 4^th 1987 the Padres sent Lefferts, LHP Dave Dravecky and 3B-OF Kevin Mitchell to San Francisco for former All-Star 3B Chris Brown, RHP Mark Grant, LHP Keith Comstock and LHP Mark Davis. It’s always rare when two teams within the division deal with each other. To not only do that but to engage in a 7 player exchange on Independence Day is awesome.

10. Fred McGriff

The “Crime Dog” enjoyed his most career success while a member of the Braves but prior to that he spent nearly 3 years as a Friar. He was acquired from Toronto with SS Tony Fernandez in a deal that sent probable Hall-of-Fame 2B Roberto Alomar and future World Series hero OF Joe Carter to the Blue Jays.

McGriff recorded a .906 OPS as a Padre. He led the league in HR with 35 in 1992. For his Friar career, McGriff walloped 84 HR and drove in 256 runs.

McGriff was a consummate professional and was simply one of the best hitters of his era with little to no fanfare. The Crime Dog earned my respect during his Friars tenure.

9. Tim Flannery

I probably am not alone in including Flan in any list of most popular Friars. He spent all 11 of his big league seasons as a member of the team before joining the team as a coach. He is now the 3B coach with the world champion Giants.

Flannery was known for his hustle and grit but wasn’t a slouch with the stick. His career slash line was .255/.335/.317 in 2,838 PA. In an era when OBP wasn’t appreciated quite so much, Flan enjoyed a 5 year run (1984 – 1988) in which he posted OBP marks ranging from a low of .332 to a high of .386.

Before Tony Gwynn was known as Mr. Padre, Flannery could have been a candidate for the moniker. After his 11-year playing career ended Flannery took a couple years off before joining the organization as a minor league manager. Eventually he became the 3^rd base coach of the Padres and spent 7 seasons there. His 24 total seasons in the organization as a player and coach (18 in the majors) surpass the total of Tony Gwynn (unless you consider Tony’s broadcasting role).

8. Goose Gossage

Goose was the last of the old-school relievers who would pitch 2 or even 3 innings at times to close a game out. He spent 4 years as a Padre and saved 83 games in San Diego. His ERA was a very good 2.99 and he averaged 1.5 innings per appearance as a Friar.

In his prime, Gossage was one of the most intimidating pitchers in baseball along with maybe Lee Smith. His signing just prior to the 1984 season played a big role in their first World Series appearance.

7. Steve Finley

Finley established himself as a solid starter in CF with the Houston Astros from 1991 – 1994. During that time Finley recorded an OPS+ of 106 and showed himself to be a capable defensive OF. His trade to the Padres following the 1994 season thrust Finley into stardom.

In 4 years with the Friars Finley recorded an OPS+ of 112. He also recorded his first 30 HR season, earned the first 2 of 5 career gold gloves and made his 1^st All-Star appearance. He was a key cog for the Friars team that appeared in the 1998 World Series.

Finley achieved even more success after signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks following that magical ’98 season. Finley eventually became one of the few to play for each of the NL West teams after making cameo appearances with the Dodgers, Giants and Rockies.

6. Adrian Gonzalez

What needs to be said with Gonzo? A local kid drafted #1 overall struggles to achieve big league success until a trade brings him home to the team he grew up following. Five seasons, 3 All-Star appearances, 2 gold gloves and an OPS+ of 141 later, Gonzalez is now one of the best players in baseball. Unfortunately for Padres fans he was about to become too expensive and now he is a member of the Boston Red Sox.

5. Terry Kennedy

Kennedy was my absolute favorite player as a kid. I can’t explain why. Maybe it was a typical childhood thing where I liked the guy that got to wear all of the cool gear. Whatever it was, the longtime big league catcher is the reason I taught myself to hit left-handed so I could mimic him when playing ball with my friends.

I knew then Kennedy wasn’t the best Padre of the time; by then Gwynn was already making a name for himself and Steve Garvey had turned in the Dodger blue but Kennedy did still have a very good career. Kennedy was a 4 time All-Star (3 with the Friars) and he won a silver slugger award after the 1982 season.  He even earned MVP votes following the 1982 (finishing 14^th) and 1983 (10^th) seasons.

In 6 seasons as a Friar, Kennedy averaged 13 HR, 71 RBI and an OPS+ of 105. He finished 2^nd in the NL in doubles in 1982 and finished in the top 10 in the league in RBI’s in both 1982 (9^th with 97) and 1983 (5^th with 98).

Kennedy was eventually traded to Baltimore where he earned the 4^th All-Star berth of his career during a year in which he hit 18 HR. He finished his big league playing career playing 3 seasons with the SF Giants.

Kennedy would head back to the minor leagues as a manager and is currently the manager of the Padres AAA affiliate in Tucson.

4. Phil Stephenson

I would bet many of you are asking yourself who Phil Stephenson even is. He was a reserve 1B for parts of 4 seasons (1989 – 1992) with the Padres. His undistinguished career included a slash line of .206/.316/.325 in 328 PA as a Padre.

Stephenson was never part of any playoff team while in San Diego. While he had a great playing career in college playing for his brother, Gene at Wichita State, he never parlayed that success into his big league career. So why do I rank him so high on my list?

Actually it’s one of those things that turn kids into fans in the first place. He took the time to talk with me and autograph baseball cards and baseballs for me. He even took a stack of cards from different years of the 1990 Padres players and had them signed.

My step-dad worked with Stephenson’s girlfriend at the time and since Phil was new to the area she would distribute his game tickets to her co-workers. I got to see quite a few games that year and it’s all thanks to Phil and his then-girlfriend.

I also remember my 14^th birthday. My step-dad took me to a game and I got to hang with Stephenson for a while before the game. Somewhere I have pictures of me on the field during warm-ups. That’s the type of memories that stick with a fan throughout their life. It’s also why I rank a journeyman player this highly on my list of all-time favorites.

3. Tony Gwynn

If there is a career team offensive record Tony Gwynn doesn’t hold for the Friars, other than career HR, I don’t know what it could be. He spent 20 seasons as a Friar and won 8 batting titles, 5 gold gloves, 7 Silver Slugger awards and was a 15 time All-Star. Simply he was the greatest hitter of his generation and one of the rare players who spent their entire career with one team. Mr. Padre.

2. Ken Caminiti

I nearly ranked Caminiti first. I loved the way this guy played the game. His feats became legendary. Remember the Snickers game? I don’t remember all of the details for sure but I do remember that before a game in Mexico, Caminiti was so sick he needed an IV to get fluids into his body. Instead of doing what 99% of players would have done and sat out the contest, Cammy ate 2 Snickers bars and played the game anyway. My memory might be fuzzy but I seem to recall Cammy recording a 2 HR performance in a win.

I know that drugs, including steroids, tend to overshadow his performance in San Diego. He had an OPS+ of 146 as a Padre but only a 102 with Houston. He admitted in Sports Illustrated to using steroids during his MVP season.  I tend to give him a pass on the PED’s though and maybe it’s only because I believe he took them to get healthy enough to get back on the field.

Caminiti won an MVP award as a Friar along with winning 3 gold gloves and appearing in 2 All-Star games. The guy laid his body on the line game in and game out. I will always respect athletes who do that.

Cammy sadly passed away at the age of 41. The drug and alcohol abuse took its toll on his body. The Padres honored his contributions just months after his death on what would have been his 42^nd birthday.

For his 4 year performance on the field as a Padre, Ken Caminiti earned a place among my all-time favorites. The negatives that surround his life are unfortunate but there is no denying he played the game the way I would have wanted to play it myself.

#1 - Trevor Hoffman

Really, how could it be any other way for me? I could see others picking Gwynn but there was just this extra excitement when Hoffman entered the game; AC/DC’s Hell’s Bells blaring on the sound system, the singular focus on the face of Hoffman as he jogged onto the field in preparation of closing out another Padres’ win.

Hoffman holds the career record for saves with 601; including 552 as a Padre. He probably should have won the Cy Young in 1998 when he finished 61 of the 66 games he appeared in. He also saved 53 games and recorded a 1.48 ERA. Using a ballpark adjusted metric, ERA+, which also measures a pitcher’s ERA relative to the league average, Hoffman recorded an ERA+ of 265. Given the average is 100, that means Hoffman’s ERA was more than 2.5 times better than the league average when factoring in ballpark adjustments.

Hoffman also showed tremendous resiliency and staying power. Most closers throw hard but Hoffman’s fastball has been below average for many seasons. He has remained among the league’s elite closers due to one of the best change-ups in the game combined with guts and determination.

In my opinion, Hoffman is the 2^nd best closer of all time. I do think Rivera, in part because of the post-season success, rates slightly higher. But on my list of favorite Padres, no one ranks higher than Trevor.