Now that the Padres are competitive again, it's fun to go back to the mid-2000s teams to find a time when they were also competitive, but arguably with a lot less than they have now. Like, in 2005, the Padres finished only 2 games over .500, being the only team in the NL West over .500 as well. Three NL East teams that did not make the playoffs had a better record- the Phillies, Marlins and Mets. Because this was the pre-Manfred era of baseball, the division leader that squeaked into the playoffs didn't end up winning the whole thing. The Friars got clobbered by the Cardinals in 3 games, it wasn't gonna be close.
There were some interesting things about this team as far as Topps non-documentation is concerned. Perhaps the biggest 'star' in this pack to discuss is Chan Ho Park, dealt from the Rangers at the deadline for some rotation depth. In 10 games, Park went 4-3 with a 5.91 ERA with San Diego, and didn't make the postseason roster. Fortunately the Korean fireballer would have a better season with the Padres in 2006, and make the transition to his late-decade relief work with Philadelphia.
Ironically, before dealing with the Rangers for Park, the Rangers released Pedro Astacio, the longtime NL West starter, and the Padres had almost no choice but to bring him back into the division against his old teams in Denver and LA. Surprisingly, Astacio was solid in 12 games with the Friars, posting a 3.17 ERA and 33 Ks, along with a 4-2 record. He'd even get a postseason start out of it, despite said start being a loss in Game 2.
Chris Hammond, at the very least, has an interesting MLB story. Original Florida Marlin, played every year from 93 to 98 for the Marlins except, of course, for the year they win it all. Starts a ton of games, gets shifted to the bullpen as the real arms come up. Bops around the minors for a few years, reinvents himself as a middle reliever in the 2000s and becomes an underrated unsung hero type. Coming off of three stellar seasons with Atlanta, New York and Oakland, he comes to San Diego. In 55 games he posts a 3.84 ERA, his highest since returning to the majors [he had a 0.95 with the Braves], and has 34 Ks. He only pitches one more season after 2005, but he was still in strong shape.
Tim Redding had been a decent starting option in Houston during the early 2000s. The Astros needed catching help, so they traded him for Humberto Quintero prior to the 2005 season. Redding disappointed in 9 games for the Padres, going 0-5 with a 9.10 ERA and 30 earned runs. He'd later be dealt to the Yankees in exchange for...
...reliever extraordinaire Paul Quantrill! People tend to forget this, but for four straight seasons, Canadian legend Paul Quantrill led the league in appearances, and from 2001 until 2004 had a combined 6.5 WAR, from stints with Toronto, Los Angeles and, of course, the Yankees. His 2005 Yanks numbers were comparatively a disappointment, so he was dealt to the Padres. While Redding only had 1 disastrous start for the Yanks, Quantrill was decent enough in San Diego, with a 3.41 ERA in 22 games. He was ultimately released at the end of August and picked up by the Marlins, with whom I could not find any images of Quantrill from. And after that he retired and helped his kid become a major leaguer himself.
I've talked about fringe icon Robert Fick on here before, so, to recap, after going from farmhand to all-star with the Tigers, Fick struggled to recapture the magic in stints with Atlanta and Tampa. So in 2004 he's dealt to the Padres, and in 2005 he actually becomes a halfway decent bench bat in San Diego. In 93 games he hits .265 with 30 RBIs and 61 hits, even if he's basically a replacement level player at this stage. He eventually becomes a similar bench bat with the Nats to finish out his career.
Eventually I'll go over the similar energy in the Padres' 2006 playoff run.
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