In July, the San Diego Padres looked like they would miss the postseason in a disappointing season with first-year manager Craig Stammen.
Fast forward to today, and the Padres are set to host the Chicago Cubs in a Wild Card series after San Diego went on a wild run to capture the No. 4 seed in the National League.
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On Monday, the All-MLB nominees were revealed, and a total of seven Padres were on the list. Here is al 7.
Let’s start with Mason Miller because, well, he was easily one of the best players in all of baseball this season. Miller had an unreal scoreless streak to start the season, and the All-Star closer finished the regular season with a 5-2 record, a 1.67 ERA and 38 saves, with 129 strikeouts in 70 innings.
King signed a three-year, $75 million deal with the Padres after it looked like he was going to end up elsewhere in free agency, and he has delivered in a big way.
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King leads San Diego’s starters in wins (12), ERA (3.21) and strikeouts (159). He has a 12-10 record in 32 starts this season with a 1.18 WHIP, and he should cash in if he leaves and opts out of his deal.
King is also starting Game 1 of the Wild Card series.
Adrian Morejon is going to earn a big paycheck from San Diego, and Fernando Tatis Jr. told AJ Preller during the celebration that Morejon should be paid in a hilarious clip.
To be fair, Tatis has a point.
The Padres reportedly turned down a trade offer from the New York Yankees for Morejon at the deadline, and if that was true, it was smart. Morejon finished the season with a 9-3 record and a 2.83 ERA in 76 appearances, and he most often appeared as the setup man to Mason Miller.
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At the beginning of the year, some wanted San Diego to trade Tatis. He didn’t hit a home run until late May, but the electric superstar finished with a .289 average with 25 home runs and 83 RBI along with 38 stolen bases.
Machado also got off to an ice-cold start, but he turned it around and finished with a team-high 30 home runs and also a team-high 91 RBI.
Wash, rinse and repeat. Merrill also got off to a horribly slow start, and the Big 3 in San Diego found a way to get the bats going. Merrill finished with a .254 average with 26 home runs and 87 RBI along with 27 stolen bases and some sensational defense in the outfield.
This is the story of the Padres season. San Diego signed France to a minor league deal with a training camp invite. France not only made the Opening Day roster, but there’s an argument to be made that he was the most valuable player for the Padres this season.
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France finished with a .295 average with 21 home runs and 72 RBI in 133 games for San Diego, and he provided plenty of clutch moments, even when the Big 3 was struggling.
France just earned himself a huge contract for 2027, hopefully in San Diego.
