Colbert Still Holds Padres’ All-Time Home Run Record with 163
Three-time N.L. All-Star was Padres’ first legitimate star
By Bill Center
There is no telling how many home runs Nate Colbert might have hit had he played in San Diego Stadium after the fences were moved in and lowered.
When Colbert played for the Padres from 1969 to 1974, the dimensions of the Mission Valley ballpark made it the largest in the Major Leagues. It was 330 feet down both lines, 420 feet to center and 375 feet to the power allies. Plus, the outfield wall was 19 feet high.
When Colbert hit 38 home runs in 1972, he also reportedly drove 17 shots off the 19-foot wall.
As it stands, the first baseman hit 163 homers in his six seasons with the Padres — a total that still ranks №1 on the Padres’ career home run list.
Colbert, who along with Randy Jones and Ray Kroc was a member of the Padres inaugural Hall of Fame class in 1999, ranks №7 on my list of the top 100 contributors to Padres’ history.
Colbert was a member of the first Padres’ team in 1969. But he wasn’t the original face of the franchise. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound slugger was the ninth player selected by the Padres (and 18th overall) in the 1968 expansion draft to stock the Padres and Montreal Expos. Colbert wasn’t even the Padres starting first baseman at the beginning of their first season.
But he moved into the starting lineup early in the 1969 launch season and became one of the most feared hitters in the National League. Colbert was named a National League All-Star three times as a Padre (1971, 1972 and 1973) and finished eighth in the 1972 voting for the National League Most Valuable Player award.
Colbert hit 38 home runs for a second time in 1972 with 111 RBIs. In addition to 141 hits, he drew a career-high 70 walks for a .333 on-base percentage that went with a .508 slugging percentage for a career-high .841 OPS.
Colbert is best-remember for what happened on Aug. 1, 1972, during a doubleheader in Atlanta. Colbert hit five home runs and drove in 13 runs in the two games.
The five home runs in a doubleheader tied the Major League record set by Hall of Famer Stan Musial in 1954 for the St. Louis Cardinals. Coincidentally, then nine-year-old Colbert, a native of St. Louis, was in the stands when Musial hit his five homers.
And Colbert’s 13 RBIs also established a Major League record — that has since been tied — for a doubleheader.
In six seasons with the Padres, Colbert batted .253 with a .331 on-base percentage and a .469 slugging percentage for a .800 OPS. He had a 17.3 WAR as a Padre.
Colbert also had 130 doubles and 22 triples to go with the 163 homers as a Padre. He drove in 481 runs and scored 442 on a team that didn’t score a lot of runs during their formative years. Colbert also stole 48 bases.
In addition to topping the Padres all-time homer list, Colbert ranks sixth in RBIs and slugging percentage; seventh in runs scored and at-bats (3,080), and eighth in walks (350) and games played (886). He was twice voted the Padres’ Most Valuable Player in 1969 and 1972.
After hitting only .207 with 14 homers and 54 RBIs in 1974, Colbert was traded to the Detroit Tigers on Nov. 18, 1974, for three fringe players. He lasted only two more seasons in the Major Leagues as a part-time player.
The list thus far:
7. 1B Nate Colbert
8. 3B Ken Caminiti
9. Manager Dick Williams
10. Founding President Buzzie Bavasi
11. SS Garry Templeton
12. C Benito Santiago
13. Manager-catcher Bruce Bochy
14. Broadcaster Ted Leitner
15. The San Diego Chicken
16. General Manager-Manager Jack McKeon
17. Owner John Moores
18. RHP Jake Peavy
19–20. Owners Ron Fowler and Peter Seidler
21. GM Kevin Towers
22. President Larry Lucchino
23. 1B Adrian Gonzalez
24. 1B Steve Garvey
25. Manager Bud Black
26. C Terry Kennedy
27. Spanish language broadcaster Eduardo Ortega
28. 1B-3B-OF-C Phil Nevin
29. INF-coach Tim Flannery
30. RF Brian Giles
31. RHP Goose Gossage
32. RHP Eric Show
33. CF Steve Finley
34. RHP Andy Ashby
35. LF-1B Ryan Klesko
36. SS Ozzie Smith
37. OF-1B Gene Richards
38. OF Cito Gaston
39. RHP Rollie Fingers
40. LHP Mark Davis
41. Manager-coach Roger Craig
42. Manager John McNamara
43. 2B Mark Loretta
44. RHP Andy Benes
45. LF Greg Vaughn
46. RHP Heath Bell
47. General manager A.J. Preller
48. RHP Gaylord Perry
49. Pitching coach Darren Balsley
50. Former pitcher-color analyst Mark Grant
51. 1B Fred McGriff
52. 3B Gary Sheffield
53. SS Khalil Greene
54. Broadcaster Bob Chandler
55. 3B Chase Headley
56. 3B Yangervis Solarte
57. Television play-by-play announcer Dick Enberg
58. Owner Joan Kroc
59. LHP Sterling Hitchcock
60. LHP Bruce Hurst
61. OF Johnny Grubb
62. RHP Andy Hawkins
63. Writer Phil Collier
64. Second baseman Roberto Alomar
65. RHP Kevin Brown
66. RHP Greg Maddux
67. OF Rickey Henderson
68. LHP Craig Lefferts
69. RHP Ed Whitson
70. C Carlos Hernandez
71. OF-1B John Kruk
72. RHP Joey Hamilton
73. Manager Preston Gomez
74. Hitting coach Merv Rettenmund
75. RHP Clay Kirby
76. 3B coach Glenn Hoffman
77. RHP Woody Williams
78. 2B Alan Wiggins
79. Manager Andy Green
80. 1B Wally Joyner
81. CF Kevin McReynolds
82. LHP Dave Dravecky
83. 1B Wil Myers
84.OF Will Venable
85. General manager Randy Smith
86. OF Ollie Brown
87. RHP Steve Arlin
88. Bullpen coach Whitey Wietelmann
89. RHP Huston Street
90. SS Tony Fernandez
91. RHP Luke Gregerson
92. Bullpen coach Darrel Akerfelds
93. INF-OF Bip Roberts
94. C-1B Gene Tenace
95. 3B Graig Nettles
96. RHP Chris Young
97. RHP Scott Linebrink
98. CF Mike Cameron
99. C Chris Cannizzaro
100. SS Chris Gomez
