Revisiting Adrián González's Padres legacy
SAN DIEGO -- Adrián González wasn't drafted by the Padres, didn't retire a Padre, and his tenure in San Diego was, from a Padres perspective, lamentably short.
But none of that should diminish what the longtime first baseman accomplished during the five seasons he spent in San Diego. Because, in a relatively short amount of time, he accomplished an awful lot -- enough to put him in a special tier of Padres greats.
González, as you may have heard, officially retired from baseball last weekend. Though he's been out of the Majors since 2018, González spent last season playing in the Mexican League, and he played for Team Mexico at the Olympics.
"Baseball has been in my DNA since I was born, and it will always be a part of who I am," González wrote on his personal Instagram account. "With this I say goodbye to my baseball playing career. Thank You to the 6 franchises I played for in MLB. ... I also want to say thank you to my incredible fans. Thank You for all your love and support."
González spent time with the Rangers, Red Sox, Dodgers and Mets after he was drafted by the Marlins in 2000. But there's little doubt about where his career reached its peak.
Consider González's numbers in San Diego. From 2006-10, he batted .288/.374/.514. His 161 homers in that span are the second highest total in franchise history, behind only Nate Colbert. Throw in three All-Star Games, two Gold Glove Awards and MVP votes in four straight seasons, and this much is clear: González put forth one of the greatest runs in Padres history.
González accrued 20.4 bWAR in his five seasons in San Diego, a remarkable number that puts him in a class of Padres legends. In fact, the only Padres hitters with better five-year stretches are the only two hitters in the Hall of Fame wearing Padres caps:
Best Padres five-year stretches (one per player)
1. Tony Gwynn, 1984-88: 30.1 bWAR
2. Dave Winfield, 1976-80: 27.0
3. Jake Peavy, 2004-08: 21.7
4. González, 2006-10: 20.4
5. Andy Ashby, 1994-98: 19.6
Of course, González's tenure in San Diego wasn't merely about the numbers. Far from it. González spent his early childhood in Tijuana, Mexico, before his family moved to nearby Eastlake in Chula Vista, Calif., where he attended high school. González -- who played for Team Mexico at the Caribbean Series, World Baseball Classic and Olympics -- plainly resonated with the Padres' sizeable Mexican fanbase.
González's smooth left-handed swing became iconic, and he was always on the field, too, having missed only 12 games across five seasons. His constant presence in the middle of the Padres' lineup anchored one of the team's most successful stretches. González won a division title in his first year in San Diego, then fell just short in both 2007 and '10, clearly through no fault of his own.
In 2007 it was González who authored what might've been remembered as one of the most clutch swings in Padres history. His go-ahead grand slam in Game 163 against the Rockies could've served as the game's defining moment, you know, if not for that whole Matt Holliday-home-plate thing.
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In 2010 -- perhaps González's finest season as a Padre -- the team collapsed down the stretch, but González batted .301 in August and September, en route to a fourth-place finish in MVP Award voting.
González, of course, had a knack for finding himself in blockbuster trades. His arrival in San Diego was part of a six-player deal that also included right-hander Chris Young -- a trade that gave the Padres precisely what they needed for a run to the 2006 division crown.
Then, there's the manner of González's departure. Set to hit free agency after the 2011 season, González was looking for a big-money extension. In December '10, the Padres dealt him to Boston, where he received that extension, in exchange for a prospect haul that included two very intriguing names -- right-hander Casey Kelly and a young first baseman named Anthony Rizzo.
That deal, of course, did not swing in the Padres' favor. Kelly's career was beset by injuries and never got off the ground. Rizzo was dealt to the Cubs for Andrew Cashner in one of the more lopsided trades in recent memory.
It didn't help that shortly after the Padres-Red Sox deal, González was traded to the Dodgers in yet another blockbuster. He spent six seasons in L.A., often torching his former team. González batted .317 with a .920 OPS against the Padres -- offering an all-too-visceral reminder of what could've been in San Diego.
Still -- as good as he was against the Padres -- González was never better than when he was playing for the Padres. With his retirement official, González can now safely occupy a special place in the team's history, and perhaps one day in the Padres Hall of Fame.