How current Padres’ players have fared in the postseason

A look at the postseason numbers for current San Diego Padres players as they prepare to play the Cardinals. 

The San Diego Padres finished the 2020 regular season at 37-23, good for the third-best record in Major League Baseball. Their .617 winning percentage is the best in franchise history, and they are going to the postseason for the first time in 14 years. 

This Padres team was built mainly through free agent signings and trades, courtesy of A.J. Preller. They are full of youth as well as seasoned veterans, many of whom have been to the postseason in their careers.

Here is a look at all of them: 

OF Tommy Pham: Pham has made the playoffs two times in his career: in 2015 with the St. Louis Cardinals (lost in NLDS) and in 2019 with the Tampa Bay Rays (lost in ALDS). In nine career postseason games, Pham is 10-for-30 with three home runs and five RBIs. He has a slash line of .333/.335/.633 and three multi-hit games. 

1B/DH: Mitch Moreland: Moreland had been to the postseason in eight of his 11 seasons (including this season). He has been to three World Series, losing in 2010 and 2011 with the Texas Rangers and winning one in 2018 with the Boston Red Sox. In 48 playoff games, Moreland is slashing .244/.319/.409 with four home runs and 18 RBIs. In Game 3 of the 2010 World Series, he hit a three-run home run in a 4-2 win. He also hit a pinch-hit three-run home run in Game 4 of the 2018 World Series to ignite a 9-6 comeback win. 

1B Eric Hosmer: Hosmer has been to the postseason twice in his career, making the World Series with the Kansas City Royals both times. After losing in seven games in 2014, Hosmer and the Royals bounced back and won the Series in five games in 2015. In 31 playoff games, Hosmer is slashing .276/.333/.398 with 34 hits, three home runs, and 29 RBIs. He performed much better in the 2014 postseason, hitting .303 in 15 games. In Game 4 of the 2015 ALDS, the Royals were facing elimination. Down 6-2 in the eighth, Hosmer ignited a five-run inning by starting the scoring with a bases-loaded RBI single. 

P Trevor Rosenthal: Rosenthal went to the postseason with the Cardinals every season from 2012-2015, serving as their closer in 2014 and 2015. In 23 playoff games, Rosenthal has a phenomenal 0.69 ERA and 42 strikeouts through 26 innings. He converted seven saves, including one in the 2013 World Series and three in the 2014 NLDS. 

3B Manny Machado: Machado has made the playoffs three times in his career; he made it with the Baltimore Orioles in 2012 and 2016, and also the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018. In 23 postseason games, Machado has four home runs, 14 RBIs, and a .213/.268/382 slash line. With the Dodgers in 2018, he had 12 RBIs in 16 games and went 4-for-22 in the 2018 World Series loss. 

OF Trent Grisham: Grisham appeared in the Wild Card Game with the Brewers in 2019 and hit leadoff. He went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in the 4-3 loss to the Nationals. He also had the infamous error in right field, which allowed the go-ahead run to score in the eighth. 

P Mike Clevinger: Clevinger has pitched in the playoffs in three seasons in his career. All three were with the Cleveland Indians from 2016-2018. Of his seven appearances, Clevinger only started one game. He started Game 3 of the 2018 ALDS, allowing one run, three hits, and three walks over five innings while also striking out nine. Unfortunately for him, the bullpen imploded in the 8th, leading to an Astros sweep. Clevinger came out of the bullpen in his other six appearances, including three in the 2016 World Series loss, where he had allowed two runs in four innings. In his playoff career, Clevinger holds a 4.50 ERA across 12 innings with 12 walks and 15 strikeouts.

P Drew Pomeranz: Pomeranz has appeared in the postseason three times in his career; he was with the Red Sox in 2016 and 2017, and the Milwaukee Brewers in 2019. In 7 2/3 innings, he has struck out ten, allowed nine hits and six runs for an ERA of 7.04. In Game 2 of the 2017 ALDS, he allowed four runs in two innings against the Astros. He also pitched two perfect innings for the Brewers in the Wild Card Game last year. 

P Craig Stammen: Stammen appeared in the playoffs with the Washington Nationals in 2012 and 2014, losing in the NLDS each time. In seven career postseason innings, Stammen allowed four runs and eight hits. He also pitched the 13th, 14th, and 15th innings in an 18-inning Game 2 loss in the 2014 NLDS. 

OF Wil Myers: Myers has gone to the playoffs once in his career. In his rookie season, where he won Rookie of the Year with Tampa Bay, Myers and the Rays fell in the ALDS. In five games that postseason, Myers went 2-for-20. 

C Jason Castro: Castro has been to the postseason two times in his career, once with the Houston Astros in 2015 and once with the Minnesota Twins in 2017. He was not very productive, hitting 1-for-19 in seven games. 

2B Greg Garcia: Garcia appeared in one postseason with the Cardinals in 2015. St. Louis lost in four games to the Chicago Cubs, and Garcia went 0-for-3 in the series. 

2B/LF Jurickson Profar: Profar had been to the playoffs twice, losing the Wild Card Game both times. In 2012 with the Rangers, he got a single in his only plate appearance. In 2019 with the Oakland A’s, he went 2-for-4 with two singles.

P Zach Davies: Davies has pitched in the postseason once in his career. In Game 5 of the 2018 NLCS against the Dodgers, Davies pitched one scoreless inning, allowing one hit and striking out one in the loss. 

P Emilio Pagan: Pagan appeared in the postseason with the Rays in 2019. He allowed two earned runs and five hits in three innings in the Wild Card Game and ALDS. 

OF Greg Allen: Greg Allen is on the outside looking in at a spot for the Padres playoff roster, and he appeared in the playoffs with the Indians in 2017 and 2018. He grounded into a double play in his only appearance. 

Yes, this is a young Padres team. But a lot of these players have postseason, and even World Series, experience. The veteran players will look to guide the younger players through the playoffs as San Diego attempts to win their first World Series title in franchise history, 

The Padres will play their first playoff game since 2006 on Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals at 2 p.m. pst.

Bobby Murphy

Bobby is an Arizona State University alum and majored in Sports Journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Fall 2023. Bobby is from San Diego, loves to write, and has a deep passion for baseball, football and basketball. He has co-hosted the “Devils Talking Padres” podcast and was a digital reporter and photographer for Cronkite News/Arizona PBS. He also broadcasted high school and junior college football games in Arizona as a play-by-play and color commentator.