Top Padres Stories of 2014

Aug 3, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera (2) hits a sacrifice fly during the fourth inning scoring shortstop Alexi Amarista (not pictured) against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

It wasn’t the greatest year for the San Diego Padres, but it sure was an eventful one. It was a tough season, with some great highs for players and some terrible lows for others. We also lost a couple great figures in Padres history who will be missed. All in all, 2014 was a tough year for the Padres and the Friar Faithful, but it ended with a bang. So here are the top stories for the Padres in the year 2014.

Seth Smith

Jul 20, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres left fielder Seth Smith (12) hits the game winning RBI during the ninth inning against the New York Mets at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

On December 3rd of 2013 the Padres traded Luke Gregerson to the A’s for Seth Smith. It was a move that garnered very little media attention, but it turned out be the biggest move the Padres made leading up to the 2014 season.

Smith hit .266/.367/.440 in 136 games for the Padres last season, leading the team in all 3 categories. He also led the team with a .357 wOBA and a wRC+ of 133. While it didn’t rival his years with the Rockies where he played half his games at Coors Field, it was still a remarkable year. It was so remarkable that while the Padres were in the midst of the transition period between Josh Byrnes and A.J. Preller and didn’t have a General Manager, they still extended him.

Unfortunately for Smith, he’ll never get a chance to play a game for the Padres under that extension he signed. As 2014 came to a close, so did Smith’s Padres career. After acquiring Wil Myers, Matt Kemp and Justin Upton, there was no more room in the outfield for Smith, so he was dealt to the Mariners in exchange for Brandon Maurer. Smith was a great story for the Padres last year, but Preller’s plan for a quick rebuild didn’t include him, so sadly he had to go.

Walkoffs

Aug 30, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres shortstop Alexi Amarista (right) is doused by catcher

(left) after driving in the winning run in the tenth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers to beat the Dodgers 2-1 at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

2014 was the year of the walkoff for the Padres. The team notched 11 walkoff wins this past season, making for great excitement at Petco Park. While the team wasn’t the greatest Padre team ever put together, they did know how to make their games exciting.

If 2014 was the year of the walkoff, then August would have to be the month of the walkoff for the Friars. Nearly half of their walkoffs came in the month of August. It started on August 2nd when Will Venable lined a single to right off Craig Kimbrel in the 12th to drive in the game-winning run. The very next night, Everth Cabrera would shoot a single up the middle in the 10th to drive in Alexi Amarista for back-to-back walkoff wins.

If you thought back-to-back walkoff wins were special, how about back-to-back-to-back? That was the case on August 27th, 29th and 30th with Rene Rivera, Yasmani Grandal and Alexi Amarista doing the honors this time.

For all the tough losses Padres fans had to endure in 2014, at least there were these 11 exciting victories that we could all enjoy.

Cameron Maybin‘s Suspension

June 8, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; San Diego Padres center fielder Cameron Maybin (24) during the game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

This was one of the more surprising stories of 2014. On July 23rd, news broke that Cameron Maybin had been suspended by Major League Baseball for 25 games due to a violation of the drug policy for his use of amphetamines.

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Since the implementation of drug testing by Major League Baseball, players who are prescribed amphetamines such as adderall and ritalin have been granted Therapeutic Use Exceptions or TUEs to allow them to continue to take them. Maybin unfortunately was caught without one.

This was just another slap in the face for Padres fans in yet another tumultuous season. Maybin hadn’t been performing all year, and had been struggling through injuries, now finally healthy, he gets slapped with a 25-game suspension. It was a tough year to watch Maybin, and now with a full outfield that doesn’t include him, his days as a Padre could be numbered.

Padres Fire Josh Byrnes

Apr 12, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres general manager Josh Brynes prior to the game against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park. . Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

When Jed Hoyer bolted to Chicago to reunite with Theo Epstein, the Padres decided to promote Josh Byrnes to GM. It was a difficult tenure for Byrnes. The team was undergoing a change of ownership which didn’t go very smoothly and left Byrnes in a tough spot. He was working with a manager he didn’t hire and working for an ownership group who didn’t hire him. Both of those things are rare today and how the situation unfolded is a prime example why.

On June 22nd the unstable tenure was ended and Josh Byrnes was fired. He’ll be forever remembered as the guy who traded away Mat Latos for a group of prospects who never truly panned out, acquiring and extending Carlos Quentin and drafting Johnny Manziel.

He now works for the Dodgers, so we can only hope he has similar success there.

Everth Cabrera

Mar 30, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera (2) walks to base in the first inning on the opening day baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Coming off his first All-Star season, big things were expected from Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera. Instead we got a season littered with under performing, injuries and off-field issues. In his fourth season playing at least 81 games, he set lows across the board. He hit a measly .232/.272/.300 in just 90 games.

Part of his performance could be blamed on injuries. Cabrera was constantly dealing with pain in his hamstring causing him to miss chunks of time, and likely affecting him greatly when he did get a chance to get on the field. He could never quite shake the injury and his season ended on August 9th.

Something Cabrera could only blame on himself was his arrest for DUI. He was caught driving under the influence of marijuana, and was later charged for resisting arrest. Couple this with all the problems Cabrera had on the field in 2014, new GM A.J. Preller had to non-tender him, ending his time with the Padres.

The Passing of Jerry Coleman

Apr 2, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Detail view of a patch worn by San Diego Padres players to honor former Padres radio announcer Jerry Coleman during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

This is one of the stories you never want to be on a list like this. On January 5th we lost longtime Padres announcer Jerry Coleman at the age of 89.

Coleman was the Padres radio announcer for every year from 1972 up until his death except for 1980, when he managed the team. He was inducted into the Padres Hall of Fame in 2001 and the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2007.

He was more than just a star in the broadcast booth. He was a 4-time All-Star and 4-time World Series champion in 9 seasons with the New York Yankees.

He was limited to just 9 seasons, because of his obligation to his country. He fought in both World War II and the Korean War and won multiple awards for his work in both.

Coleman was a true American Hero, and was a huge part of Padres baseball. While 2014 was the first full season without him in the booth, it’ll still be an adjustment to listen to Padres games without hearing Coleman’s voice.

Padres Hire A.J. Preller

Dec 12, 2013; Orlando, FL, USA; Texas Rangers assistant general manager A.J. Preller talks during the Rule 5 Draft during the MLB Winter Meetings at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort. The Texas Rangers chose Russell Wilson, quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks in the draft. Mandatory Credit:

-USA TODAY Sports

The biggest signing in 2014 was not a player, but the team’s new General Manager. Following a disappointing run by Josh Byrnes, the new Padres’ ownership group had their chance to choose their first GM. On August 5th, the team announced that they had agreed to a 5-year deal with the Texas Rangers Assistant General Manager, A.J. Preller.

Preller was known for his work in the international market. He helped the Rangers discover young talent like Jurickson Profar and Elvis Andrus among others. Even with that knowledge, Preller was still a bit of a wild card. Rookie GMs are always unknowns, so Preller could be a complete flop. He is off to a strong start and has won over a lot of Padres’ fans, but there’s still games to be played.

The December of Preller

Oct 7, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Matt Kemp hits a single against the St. Louis Cardinals in the second inning during game four of the 2014 NLDS baseball playoff game at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Part of the reason Preller coming to San Diego was such a huge story is the moves he’s made. The winter started off with the Padres missing out on Yasmany Tomas and Pablo Sandoval. It looked like it’d be another offseason filled with rumors and very little results.

Thankfully Preller is committed to winning and he showed that starting at the end of the Winter Meetings. As the Winter Meeting finished, the Padres reached an agreement to acquire Matt Kemp. It was a deal that sent shock waves throughout baseball and was met with tons of praise. The Padres finally had a legitimate hitter that Bud Black could pencil into the lineup everyday.

Obviously one man can’t change the offense, and Preller knew that too, so he went out and acquired two more outfielders to go along with Kemp in Wil Myers and Justin Upton. Not wanting to stop there, he also acquired All-Star catcher, Derek Norris.

The Padres went from a lineup without any heavy hitters, to one with 4. While those were the biggest names Preller acquired they weren’t the only ones. Will Middlebrooks, Clint Barmes, Shawn Kelley, Brandon Morrow and Brandon Morrow all figure to make an impact on this team in 2015.

It was incredible to see the Padres seemingly go from a team that was an afterthought to the casual fan, to the talk of the town overnight. Whether or not this all works, A.J. Preller did make this team relevant and that counts for something.

The Passing of Tony Gwynn

Jun 26, 2014; San Deigo, CA, USA; San Diego Padres former player Tony Gwynn

The biggest story for the Padres in 2014 was also the saddest. On June 16th, we lost the greatest Padre of all-time, Tony Gwynn. You don’t earn the name Mr. Padre for nothing, and Gwynn certainly lived up to the name.

You could go on and on about how great of a player Gwynn was and all of that has been written over and over again, so I’ll keep this brief. Gwynn was more than just a baseball player to San Diego, he was a part of the fabric of the city. He was born and raised in California, went to San Diego State University, played his whole career with the Padres and coached the SDSU baseball team until his death.

We lost more than just the greatest Padre. We lost a great person. Very few people see the kind of universal praise Gwynn received. He was one of a kind and will be missed by all.