The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team in Major League Baseball (MLB) based in San Diego, California. The club was founded in 1969 as part of the league's expansion. The team's hall of fame, created in 1999 to honor the club's 30th anniversary, recognizes players, coaches, and executives who have made key contributions to the franchise. Voting is conducted by a 35-member committee.[1] Candidates typically must wait at least two years after retiring to be eligible for induction, though Tony Gwynn was selected during his final season in 2001 before the last game of the year.[2] He was also the Hall of Fame's first ever unanimous selection.[1] There are 19 members in the team's Hall of Fame, the most recent inductees being John Moores and Jake Peavy in 2023.[3] The inductees are featured in an exhibit at the team's home stadium, Petco Park.[4]
Cy Young Award winner Randy Jones, power-hitting first baseman Nate Colbert, and former owner Ray Kroc were elected to the founding class of the Padres Hall of Fame by a 24-panel committee that included 18 media members who had covered the Padres for at least seven years, four Padres representatives and one representative from the San Diego Baseball Historical Society and the Madres—a San Diego organization that promotes baseball.[5] When Trevor Hoffman's induction was announced in 2014, Padres president Mike Dee stated that the hall's membership needed to be expanded "for those who may have not had [National Baseball] Hall of Fame careers like Trevor."[6] Hoffman's induction was the first since manager Dick Williams' in 2009, as former club owners John Moores and Jeff Moorad had neglected the hall.[6][7] New Padres ownership led by Ron Fowler placed a renewed organizational emphasis on the Hall of Fame, which included Hoffman's induction as well as future plans to relocate and redesign the hall's exhibit at Petco Park.[6][8]
The exhibit opened on July 1, 2016, at Padres Hall of Fame Plaza, which is located near the left field entrance of the park at the back of the Western Metal Supply Company building.[9][10] The new facilities were part of the festivities for the 2016 MLB All-Star Game, which was hosted at Petco Park.[11] The plaza is a tribute to not only the history of the major league club, but also the history of baseball in San Diego, including the Padres from the Pacific Coast League (PCL).[12] On the same day the plaza opened, the Padres inducted San Diego native Ted Williams into their hall of fame. He played for the PCL Padres in 1936 and 1937, and is also a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.[13] The Hall of Fame Plaza at Petco originally was to be named in honor of then-MLB commissioner Bud Selig, but the Padres reconsidered after negative reaction from the media and fans.[14] Plans for the plaza also included eventual statues of Padres greats.[14][15]
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
sdphofwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Krasovic, Tom (October 8, 2001). "Those worst-in-majors predictions proved to be error". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Special: Tony Gwynn-4.
Before the game, Gwynn was inducted directly into the Padres' Hall of Fame, forgoing the customary two-year waiting period.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
cassavell_03222023was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Center, Bill (July 1, 2016). "Padres open their Hall of Fame at Petco Park". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2016.
- ^ Center, Bill (July 10, 1999). "Padres Hall of Fame Jones was club's first box-office draw". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. D-8.
Kroc and power-hitting first baseman Nate Colbert were also honored by a 24-member panel that included 18 media members who have covered the club for at least seven years, four Padres representatives and one representative from the Madres and the San Diego Baseball Historical Society.
- ^ a b c Miller, Scott (August 27, 2014). "Hoffman induction is the first step in reviving Padres Hall of Fame". FoxSports.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2014.
- ^ Lin, Dennis (August 30, 2014). "Hoffman inducted into Padres Hall of Fame". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014.
- ^ Laws, Will (August 4, 2014). "Hoffman to enter Padres Hall of Fame on Aug. 30". MLB.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014.
- ^ Paris, Jay (August 27, 2014). "San Diego Padres Hall Of Fame Christening Falls Flat". KPBS.org. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014.
- ^ Kenney, Kirk (July 1, 2016). "Padres Hall of Fame opens at Petco Park". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on July 8, 2016.
- ^ Sanders, Jeff (August 8, 2015). "Padres to unveil Hall during All-Star week". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on August 9, 2015.
- ^ Cassavell, AJ (July 1, 2016). "Padres unveil new Hall of Fame Plaza". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
acee_06302016was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Canepa, Nick (June 28, 2016). "Padres HOF to open, minus Selig name". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on July 8, 2016.
- ^ Brock, Corey (August 26, 2014). "Padres, City of San Diego pay homage to Selig". MLB.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014.