San Diego Gets Taste of What Might Have Been

Not that all of them will be here for a July 14 alumni bash, but no fewer than nine former Padres are having All-Star-caliber years.

Count ‘em . . .

1. Robbie Alomar, hitting .336 for Toronto and leading American League second basemen in votes.

2. Ozzie Smith, hitting .290 and fielding as usual for St. Louis and leading National League shortstops in votes, also as usual.

3. Dave Winfield, hitting .304 with 13 home runs and 44 runs batted in for Toronto and running third in voting among American League outfielders.

4. Sandy Alomar Jr., hitting a modest .223 for Cleveland but leading American League catchers in votes.

5. John Kruk, hitting .368 for Philadelphia, leading the National League in batting average. He’s third in voting among first baseman.

6. Joe Carter, hitting .282 with 17 home runs and 53 runs batted in for Toronto and running fifth among American League outfielders in voting.

7. Bip Roberts, hitting .303 for Cincinnati.

8. Carlos Baerga, hitting .304 for Cleveland.

9. Shane Mack, hitting .298 with nine home runs for Minnesota.

Not all these guys will be in the All-Star Game, but an argument can be made for all of them. And Nos. 1 through 6 are definite. Bank on it.

Not too many organizations can point to such an illustrious list of graduates. Actually, not too many organizations would want so many ghosts haunting them from afar.

All but Carter, in fact, were signed by or developed by the Padres. Winfield, of course, is one of those rarities who never played in the minor leagues. Roberts was drafted out of the Pittsburgh system, but played in Las Vegas on his way to San Diego.

This impressive list of players includes a veritable man for all positions, given the liberty of assigning third base to the versatile Roberts. Alomar Jr. would catch, Kruk at first, either Robbie Alomar or Baerga at second, Ozzie at short and Carter, Mack and Winfield in the outfield.

All that’s missing is pitching, and the current Padres have had that problem on occasion this year. Not one former Padre pitcher is having much more than what might be called a decent year, an example being Jimmy Jones’ 4-1 record with a 4.22 earned run average in Houston. Not one has even a remote chance of making an All-Star team.

You might suggest that the Padres have been wiser in their evaluation and trading of pitchers, except that the current staff is not exactly replete with home-grown talent. The two winningest pitchers--Craig Lefferts and Bruce Hurst--were both free-agent signees.

Now, the kicker on looking around and seeing all these familiar names and faces doing so well is that the 1992 Padres don’t have much to show for what was given up in the past.

What, exactly?

Fred McGriff, Tony Fernandez and Randy Myers.

Period.

The trade which brought McGriff and Fernandez from Toronto was, on the surface, a straight two-for-two deal. Joe Carter and Robbie Alomar went from San Diego to Toronto.

However, a deeper look shows that it was much more costly.

To get Joe Carter, the Padres sent Alomar Jr., Baerga and Chris James to Cleveland. To get Chris James, they sent Kruk and Randy Ready to Philadelphia.

In essence, then, the Padres lost Kruk, Ready, Alomar Jr., Baerga, James, Robbie Alomar and Carter in the sequence leading to that trade. Four of those seven will be on the field July 14 and Baerga has the credentials to be a fifth.

Put all of those guys into one trade, instead of a series of transactions, and it would be just a bit lopsided no matter how wonderfully McGriff and Fernandez are playing. It doesn’t work that way, of course. Joe McIlvaine, for example, dealt with Toronto according to what he had and needed at the moment, not with thought to what had pre-dated his arrival as general manager.

And what did the Padres get for Ozzie Smith? Garry Templeton, who gave them a number of workmanlike years.

And Roberts? Randy Myers, who has yet to come up with many workmanlike weeks, at least not yet.

They got absolutely nothing for either Winfield or Mack, the former because he was too expensive and the latter because he simply never did anything with opportunities he was provided.

Indeed, Mack is a symbol of sorts of the Padres’ futile search for a home-grown left fielder. They have given up on Thomas Howard (.285 for Cleveland) and Shawn Abner (.304 for the Chicago White Sox) as well and they appear close to surrendering on Jerald Clark.

Perhaps Howard and Abner and Clark will appear on a list just such as this in a year or two.

You know Benito Santiago will.

Developing talent is nice. Keeping it is nicer.