Five active hitters who dominate the Padres

There always seems to be that one player that kills the Padres. Let’s take a look at the active hitters who have done the most damage thus far.

For whatever reason, there are always those players that, no matter at home or on the road, perform well against the Padres. That particular player can bat .225 against the rest of the league but will put on a show when the Friars come to town.

It’s both infuriating and unbelievable at the same time. And while Andre Ethier, Ryan Howard, and Todd Helton are notorious Padre-killers, they have all retired. The next generation of nightmares has entered the conversation.

It’s a reasonable expectation that divisional opponents would do the most damage, simply because of a larger sample size. However, there were a few surprises on the list.

1. Charlie Blackmon

Ever since his breakout year in 2014, Blackmon has been a thorn in the side of the Padres. For his career, he has a .320 batting average to go along with 28 home runs and 69 RBI. Last year alone, he accounted for nine home runs and 20 RBI, although eight of those came at Coors Field.

2. Nolan Arenado

Sticking with the Rockies theme, Arenado has a career .283 batting average against the Friars. In 11 fewer games than Blackmon, he has 25 home runs and 73 RBI. Last year, he smacked four bombs and drove in 12 runs, but none of those home runs came at Petco.

3. Paul Goldschmidt

No longer in the division, Goldschmidt left his mark, and I’ll bet the Padres are glad they don’t have to face him 19 times a year. He has a career .300 batting average to go along with 22 home runs and 86 RBI.

While he hit one home run last year with his new team, in 2018, Goldschmidt hit three home runs and drove in a season-high 16 RBI.

4. Buster Posey

While he’s not the offensive threat that he once was, Posey killed the Padres during the Giants’ dynasty. He has a career .303 batting average to go along with 17 home runs and 88 RBI, the most for any active player.

He hasn’t been that productive against the Friars over the last two years, but in 2017, he smacked two home runs and drove in seven.

5. Ryan Zimmerman

Finally, outside the division. Similar to Posey, he’s no longer the offensive weapon, but Zimmerman has been with the Nationals for a very long time. He has accumulated a career .291 batting average in 59 games with 17 home runs and 49 RBI.

Zimmerman hasn’t done anything notable since the 2015 season when he hit two home runs and drove in 12 in 24 at-bats.