The INSANE Prime of Tony Gwynn: Mr. Padre

Tony Gwynn is the greatest pure hitter in the  history of baseball his ability to hit the ball   to all Fields was baffling to fans and players  alike Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda in 1984   said how do you defend a hitter who hits the ball  down the left field line the right field line and   up the middle he poses an intriguing question  and one with a simple answer you can't defending   against Tony Gwen is like trying to hit a bullseye  with a blindfold on if you've been watching my   videos for a while you would know that I enjoy  talking about Tony Gwynn he's the most requested   and talked about player in the comments section  of my videos here are a few of the comments that   served as inspiration for talking about Tony Gwynn  today as always if you enjoy the video make sure   to leave a like and consider subscribing Anthony  Keith guinn was born in Los Angeles California   on May 9th in 1960. he was born to Father Charles  and mother Vandella Charles was warehouse manager   and Vandella was a postal worker Tony was the  middle child which between his older brother   Charles and younger brother Chris the Gwen family  moved to Long Beach when Tony was just nine years   old the Gwen Brothers loved to play baseball  together in an effort to avoid breaking Windows   they would use a sock ball or fig from a tree  in their yard and use it as a baseball mcguins   grew up fans of the LA Dodgers go figure that  Tony Gwynn the future Mr Padre grew up a fan   of the Dodgers his favorite player was center  fielder Willie Davis who was with the Dodgers   for 14 years from 1960 to 1973. in high school  Tony gained a reputation as a dual sport threat   playing baseball and basketball he was recruited  by several colleges including Cal State Fullerton   and Texas Christian University eventually Gwen  would choose to play for San Diego State but with   his sights set on being a basketball first athlete  San Diego State University is home to the Aztecs   but it's also where Tony Gwen started to make a  name for himself Gwen became the basketball team's   star point guard and was an all-conference  player twice Tony Gwen didn't start playing   baseball until his sophomore year of College once  he did he immediately found success in his three   seasons of college ball he led the team in hitting  twice and was nominated to be an All-American also   twice as a junior he batted 423 with six homers  and 29 RBIs he would follow that up by hitting   416 with 11 homers and 62 RBIs in his senior year  playing within the Western Athletic Conference he   made history becoming the only athlete to earn All  Conference honors in multiple Sports in addition   to this noteworthy accomplishment in basketball he  would earn the school record for assists in a game   with 18 a season with 221 and a career with 590.  Tony Gwynn's success in both Sports caught the   attention of both the MLB and NBA in 1981 he was  drafted by the San Diego Padres in the third round   and the San Diego Clippers in the 10th round both  teams wanted to have a homegrown franchise player   in the end Gwen decided to sign with the Padres  shortly after the draft Tony Gwynn would marry   his wife Alicia whom he'd known dating back to  elementary school once in the Padres farm system   Tony would make his presence felt winning MVP  honors and rookie ball and earning a call-up to   double a in his first 23 games there he hit 462  because of course he did he began The Following   season in AAA where he would hit 328 in 93 games  as a result he would finally get his chance to   play in the big leagues on July 19 1982 Gwen  made his majorly debut against the Philadelphia   Phillies he went two for four and got his first  major league RBI 1982 saw Gwen get into 54 games   where he would hit 289 with a 107 Ops plus not too  shabby but there was some room to grow 1983 was   the last season Gwen wasn't an everyday player as  a part-timer he hit 309 and posted a 105 Ops plus   1984 is the year Tony Gwynn came into his Zone  at the big league level not just as an offensive   threat but also as an elite defense under in  right field where he spent a majority of his   career he led the league in Fielding percentage  and assists in 1984 thanks to his Cannon for an   arm on the hitting side of things Gwen batted an  incredible 351 with an 853 Ops 141 Ops plus 213   hits 33 stolen bases and struck out just 23  times in 675 played appearances that equates   to just 3.4 percent of his played appearances it  is truly impossible to get into just how amazing   that is but if you watch my Wade Boggs video  I mentioned that his career K percentage was   a tick below seven percent that's better than  Ted Williams Gwen's career K percentage was   4.2 if that isn't impressive I don't know what  is Gwen in 1984 got the attention of Al Oliver   a seven-time All-Star and a 303 lifetime hitter  I'm not in awe of too many people but Tony Gwynn   is the best looking young hitter I've seen since  I've been in the big leagues I can honestly say   that I would pay to see him hit Gwen would win his  first Silver Slugger and first batting title this   same year in MVP voting he finished third which is  the closest he got to winning an MVP in his career   much like how Wade Boggs was robbed of American  League MVPs Tony Gwynn was robbed of National   League MVPs while they are by no means identical  they have similar formulas to their approach at   the plate and were underappreciated as two of the  best contact hitters of all time after the 1984   regular season came to a close the Padres were  very much in the thick of it when it came down   to the postseason race the Padres would easily  take the National League West Division crown   and go head to head with the Cubs in the first  round of the playoffs which at the time was the   National League Championship Series they would win  in five games and Gwen played a big part in that   he would bat 368 with a 907 Ops driving in three  runs and tallying seven hits three of which were   doubles for the first time in Tony gwyn's career  he was going to play in a World Series the Padres   matched up against the Detroit Tigers who won 104  regular season games and looked like the favorites   over the 92 in Padres unfortunately for San Diego  they would lose some close games in fall in five   to Detroit women badges 263 in the series 1985 was  a down season for Gwyn by his standards that still   meant hitting Way north of 300 posting an Ops plus  well above League average and finishing three hits   shy of 200. he would make the All-Star team and  finish 23rd in MVP voting 1986 saw Gwen get right   back in the saddle he demonstrated durability  by playing in 160 games leading the league in   at bats run scored and hits he would showcase his  speed yet again and stole 37 bags to pair up with   14 dingers he would make the All-Star team for  the third year in a row when his second Silver   Slugger and for the first time in his career was  a gold Glover if Tony Glenn was going to win an   MVP in his career it should have been in 1987.  he would one-up himself in the batting average   Department hitting 370 in route to winning his  second batting title he led the league in hits   with 218 posted 36 doubles 13 triples and 958 Ops  158 Ops plus and stole a career best 56 bases he   would win his second Gold Glove award in a row  and earn his third Silver Slugger 1988 is a unique   season a season in which Gwyn did not make the  All-Star team thanks to a slow start at the plate   a 277 average and 704 Ops were uncharacteristic of  Gwen although this was likely attributed to Tony   playing through an injury that he sustained on  his left wrist in March he would go on the injured   list in May causing him to miss way more time than  he would have liked while he may have been cold   at the plate he was able to reach his first major  Milestone tallying his 1 000th career hit against   none other than Nolan Ryan after the All-Star Game  Mr Padre awoke and batted 347 with an 869 Ops to   finish the year with a 313 average good enough to  win his third batting title his second in a row in   MVP voting he finished 11th in 1989 Tony Gwynn was  back to business leading the league in hits and   batting average hitting 336 and winning his third  straight batting title he would steal 40 bases   post a 132 Ops plus and would win a Silver Slugger  and gold glove for his efforts in MVP voting he   finished eighth he did all this while battling  wrist and achilles injuries throughout the second   half of the Season you'll soon realize that the  resilience Tony Gwynn had is unmatched after this   season Gwen if he wasn't already was establishing  himself as one of the greatest hitters in the   history of baseball Talent was a major factor in  his success however Gwen had a historically great   work ethic that was fueled by his discipline Gwen  said it best himself I am a natural hitter but I   have to work hard to keep it Tony put in countless  hours in the batting cages finding value with   Hitting off a t as many hitters do he already was  blessed with sharp hand-eye coordination but it   also helped him to go the other way and hit the  ball where it was pitched which he did better   than anyone else Gwen was aware of his talent and  had this to say regarding his approach one of the   reasons I get so many hits that way is because  it's hard to read the ball off my back my hands   come through the Zone first and the barrel trails  and it kind of hides the ball from the Fielder   until I've already hit it they don't see the ball  hit the bat they just see the ball off the bat by   the time they react they can't get to it but  what you might not know about Gwyn is that he   was one of the first players to watch video of  himself and of opposing pitchers during games   he was known to take multiple VCRs on road trips  taping the game on one and taping his at bats on   the other after which he would study them in his  hotel room unfortunately Gwen's streak of three   straight batting titles came to an end in 1990 but  he still hit over 300 because come on now we're   talking about Tony Gwynn nonetheless he made the  All-Star Game and won a gold glove his fourth such   award during this season he fractured his right  index finger while trying to make a catch against   the wall in Atlanta he missed some time but still  ended up playing in 141 games by season's end Gwen   would miss more time The Following season in 1991  after undergoing his first major knee surgery late   in the season it caused him to miss the final  21 games of the Season Gwen ended his season   batting 317 with a 118 Ops plus he finished 16th  in MVP voting and won his Fifth and final Gold   Glove award he followed the season up with an  eerily similar season hitting an identical 317   and posting an Ops just one point lower he did  this while sustaining two injuries a fractured   finger and a sprained knee ligament the injuries  resulted in Gwyn playing in a reduced 128 games   heading into his age 33 season it was a wondrous  to where the Tony Gwen of old was because while he   had been great in the preceding three seasons  it was still a notch below the output that he   put together from 1984 to 1989. now of course  injuries were a major factor but Gwen needed   to right the ship and that he did in August of  1993 Gwen reached the 2000 hit Milestone which   put himself in a great position to reach the 3000  hit club before his career was said and done 1993   saw Tony Gwen hit 358 his highest batting average  in six years he would post an 895 Ops 138 Ops plus   tally 175 hits 41 doubles and still 14 bases oh  and I forgot to mention that this was in just   122 games wow he suffered an injury in September  and had a surgery late in the season to clean out   Loose bodies in his left knee 1994 was a season to  remember for Tony Gwynn a season that saw a Chase   for history not seen since 1941. what was the  feat you might ask the illustrious 400 batting   average in a single season 35 men in the history  of baseball have been able to do it none of which   occurred post integration which started in 1945  when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier for   the Brooklyn Dodgers the most recent occurrence  of a ball player hitting 400 or higher came in   1941 when Ted Williams accomplished the feat as  you can imagine Tony Gwynn in 1994 was having   his best season yet through the first half of the  Season Gwen was batting 383 with an Ops one point   shy of 1000 and had nine homers to that point  his 161 Ops plus was considerably higher than   his career average everything was going right for  Gwen it would only get better Augusta Gwen hit   475 and 40 at bats bringing his average up to an  unbelievable 394 Mark just six points shy of the   illustrious 400 Mark Gwen had his sights set on  400 only to have the rug pulled out from under him   him when the major league players union went on  a labor strike ending the season prematurely Gwen   had been within 20 points of 400 for a majority  of the season and to have the season and the way   it did was heartbreaking but Tony Gwen handled the  situation like a pro following his final game of   the season Gwen would say people look at this as  individuals not having a chance to break records   but guys have sacrificed careers to make things  better for a lot of Young baseball players as far   as I'm concerned getting an agreement is more  important than hitting 400. while he did go on   to say that it was disappointing not getting the  opportunity to get those six points he was very   pleased with his performance throughout the 1994  campaign let's take a look at what Tony Gwynn was   able to accomplish during the 1994 season like  we mentioned before he finished the year batting   394 which earned him his fifth batting title in  addition he posted a 454 on base percentage and   recorded 165 hits both of which led the league he  accumulated a 1.022 Ops and 169 Ops plus both of   which were career highs in just 110 games Tony  Gwynn put together a season that came ever so   close to baseball history we'll never know if Gwen  would have hit 400 That season but considering how   his August was going before the strike I wouldn't  have put it past him naturally he would win a   Silver Slugger Award and finish seventh in MVP  voting which might feel like a robbery but there   were some particularly Great Performances that  unfortunately hindered Tony's chances of winning   his first MVP award Jeff Bagwell and Greg Maddox  had Seasons so great that they deserve their own   separate videos when you put together a season  like the one Gwyn had in 1994 it's incredibly   difficult to try and replicate that performance  Mr Padre did his best in 1995 another strike   shortened season Gwen was remarkable he batted  368 earning him a second batting title in a row   the sixth of his career he led the league in hits  with 197 drove in 90 runs a career best to that   point 33 doubles of 137 Ops plus and won another  Silver Slugger in MVP voting he finished ninth   he did all this despite fracturing his right big  toe in August after fouling a ball off his foot   which surprisingly would not cause him to miss  a lot of games he finished the year playing in   135 out of 144 possible games for his efforts off  the field Goombas presented with the branch Ricky   award given to the top Community activist in Major  League Baseball the following year Gwen repeated   as the batting champ hitting 353 and made the  All-Star team for the eighth year in a row on May   10 1996 the Padres had a game that was delayed and  eventually suspended to the following day because   of rain Tony Gwynn told Padre's coach Tim Flannery  to be ready because he knew the pitcher would   throw him a first pitch slider which he would  deposit into left center field to tie the ball   game up Flannery Shrugged it off but sure enough  the following day gwyn's prophecy came to fruition   esplanary says he knew what the pitcher was going  to throw him before the pitcher knew what he was   going to throw him throughout this season Gwen  was once again dealing with injuries only this   time they were more severe he missed eight games  with the right heel injury and went on the injured   list in July after injuring the ever dangerous  Achilles which caused him to miss 30 Games Gwen   would come back in time to help the Padres in  the final stretch leading up to the postseason   the Padres would win the national league west  finishing with 91 wins unfortunately for San   Diego it would turn out to be a first round exit  after failing to win a single game against the St   Louis Cardinals Gwen with bat 308 with One RBI  in the series after the season Tony would have   surgery on his right heel what many didn't know  was that the Achilles injury put his career at   risk overcoming that type of injury is achievable  but the extent to which Gwen had it was worrisome   Gwen luckily was able to manage his injury and  put together a season not hampered by injuries   1997 was an exceptional year in which he won  his fourth consecutive batting title hitting   372 the highest of his career in a non-strike  shortened season his 220 hits were a career   high and led the league he would knock in a  ridiculous 119 runs and hit 17 dingers both   of which were career highs the increase in power  numbers LED Gwyn to a 957 Ops and a 156 Ops plus   but getting back to the 119 RBIs How did Gwen do  it His Highest RBI total prior to this season was   in 1995 when he drove in 90. the spike in RBIs can  be attributed to gwyn's Preposterous 459 average   and 1.259 Ops with runners in scoring position  regardless of situation even when there was two   outs Gwen still had a 4-12 average and 1.214  Ops first career he hit 349 with an Ops north   of 900 with runners in scoring position which  explains why 1997 was so out of the ordinary Gwen   1997 was certainly one of his best to put the  cherry on top he would win his seventh and final   Silver Slugger Award and finished sixth in MVP  voting 1998 and 1999 saw Gwen miss a combined 62   games as a result of the Achilles injury flaring  up again and a strain left calf Gwyn was still   able to put together a 321 and 338 batting average  in 1998 and 1999 respectively while posting an Ops   plus right around his career average in 1998  Gwen went on a final postseason run he played   a major part in the Padres making it to the World  Series Unfortunately they came up short losing to   the Yankees Gwen was spectacular in the series  hitting 500 with a 1.2170 PS and 16 at bats in   1999 Gwen made the All-Star team for the 15th and  final time his 11th in a row and more importantly   Tony Gwynn joined the 3000 hit Club on August 6  1999. his mother's birthday which so happened to   be the same day he recorded his 2000th hit as  well coincidence I think not throughout gwyn's   age 40 season in the year 2000 he would once  again have knee trouble which would in turn   cause him to undergo season-ending surgery when  the Padres bought out gwyn's contract following   the season he became a free agent for the first  time in his career eventually Gwen would return   to San Diego but would miss 64 games in the first  half of the Season while dealing with an injured   right hamstring when he returned he got hit with  the injury bug again this time because of a torn   meniscus in his right knee on June 28th Gwen  announced that he would retire at season's end   from there on out he was given a standing ovation  at each Stadium the Padres would visit Gwen was   honored as a non-playing squad member in the 2001  All-Star Game during the game goom is presented   with the commissioner's historic Achievement Award  October 6 2001 was the day of gwyn's final career   hit a pinch hit RBI double he finished the year  with a 324 average his 19th consecutive season   batting at least 300. there were times throughout  that streak that it looked like injuries might   hold him back but lo and behold each time  Gwen finished the year batty 300 or more   for his career Tony Gwynn finished with a 69.2  war 3141 hits a 338 average and a 132 Ops plus a   15-time All-Star five-time Gold Glove winner seven  silver Sluggers and eight batting titles which is   second all-time only behind Ty cop Gwyn famously  batted 302 with two strikes and in high leverage   situations was even better batting 345. it's hard  to Fathom just how fantastic Tony Gwynn was Gwen   certainly earned his fair share of Hardware but  unfortunately the MVP award was not one of them   injuries to his fingers wrist knees and achilles  tendon Costco in around 500 games the equivalent   to three full seasons had he played those games he  could have finished significantly higher than 18th   on the all-time hits list after his playing days  Tony Gwynn continued his Devotion to community   service he would create the Tony Gwynn Foundation  to help fund organizations supporting children in   need such as YMCA and the Police Athletic League  for 14 years he hosted the annual Tony Gwynn   Celebrity Golf Classic to raise money for the  foundation the San Diego Padres honored Tony Gwynn   by making his name and number the official address  of Petco Park 19 Tony Gwen way which opened in   2004. Tony Gwen became the head baseball coach  at his alma mater at San Diego State immediately   following his retirement from baseball he would  take over the program in 2002 and won the Mountain   West Conference coach of the year in his second  season after leading the Aztecs to a league title   in 2004. Gwen would play part in developing  future Major Leaguers Steven Strasberg and   Justin Masterson throughout his coaching career  Tony Gwen's son Tony Gwynn Jr would go on to play   eight years in major league baseball starting in  2006. in 2007 Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr were   inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame both in  their first year on the ballot while coaching at   San Diego State Gwen's health problems started  to mount his career-long use of chewing tobacco   was catching up with him he was able to quit but  it was very difficult and was too late after two   benign tumors were removed the third one turned  out to be cancerous Gwen underwent radiation   and chemotherapy for months while battling  salivary gland cancer after years of treatment   he tragically passed away on June 16th in 2014 at  just 54 years old two years after his passing the   Padres build a statue that overlooks right field  at Petco Park in honor of Mr Padre Tony Gwynn is   an all-time great who was larger than life let's  all strive to be as charitable resilient and   hard-working as he was his perseverance year in  and year out while dealing with injuries many of   which he played through is inspiring unfortunately  he was taken away from us way too soon but Tony   Gwen in the time he had was an inspiration to  all and did it with a smile let me know in the   comments down below your thoughts on the video If  you enjoyed make sure to leave a like and consider   subscribing thank you all for watching and I'll  see you guys in the next video later [Music]

Channel: Cam 23

Views: 81,194

Keywords: Tony Gwynn, tony gwynn, Mr. Padre, San Diego Padres, MLB, mlb, batting title, Tony Gwynn Padres, Tony Gwynn MVP, Gwynn postseason, 1987, MVP, silver slugger, gold glove, Tony Gwynn World Series, postseason, Padres, baseball, 1998 World Series, Tony Gwynn .400, .400 batting average, 1994 MLB strike, Chase for .400, Tony Gwynn coach, Tony Gwynn passes away, Petco Park, statue, Hall of Fame, batting title 1994, most batting titles, Tony Gwynn 3000 hits, high school, college, Cam 23

Id: grS7uIvSWB8

Length: 23min 17sec (1397 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 09 2023