The San Diego Padres made a significant move during the expansion draft of 1969 by selecting first baseman Nate Colbert. In his debut season, Colbert belted 24 home runs, and over his Padres career from 1969 to 1974, that number climbed to a total of 163, before he was traded to the Detroit Tigers.
What’s truly remarkable, though, is that for 55 years, Colbert’s home run record has stood unchallenged. He’s been the all-time home run king for the Padres since September 8, 1969, an impressive feat in baseball history.
However, that could be changing soon.
Manny Machado is now nine home runs shy of catching Nate Colbert as the #Padres career home leader with 163. Colbert has been the #Padres leader in career homers since Sept. 8, 1969, when he hit 2 in a game at the Astrodome to give him 20 on the season, passing Ollie Brown.
— Bill Center (@billcenter) July 31, 2024
Provided he stays injury-free, Manny Machado will have the final two months of the 2024 season to break Colbert’s long-standing record. As of now, Machado needs nine more home runs to become the first player since Colbert to lead the franchise in homers.
Machado has been quite the slugger, hitting 154 home runs since joining the Padres in February 2019, and with his strong performance recently—sixes in July and fives in June—he stands a good chance of setting a new record.
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But just how astounding is Colbert’s record? Consider that every other team that has joined the league since the Padres, including the likes of Toronto, Seattle, and Miami, all boast franchise leaders with higher home run totals. Same goes for other historical teams like the Nationals and Brewers.
It’s also quite unusual for a player like Colbert—who had a solid career but was never a superstar—to hold onto a record for so long. His 173 career home runs rank just 175th on the all-time list.
The Padres’ lack of home run hitters can partly be attributed to their best players, like Tony Gwynn—who excelled in batting but wasn’t a power hitter—and the fact that they often lost stars or didn’t keep them long enough to challenge Colbert’s mark.
In addition, the Padres’ struggles with draft picks and a reputation for developing stars have kept Colbert’s record secure for decades.
Should Machado eventually claim this record, it’ll be interesting to see how long his name lasts in the Padres history books.