Linebrink, Cameron Next Players on Padres’ 100
Key figures on 2006 N.L. West co-champions
By Bill Center
A pair of teammates from the Padres 2006 National League West co-champions — setup reliever Scott Linebrink and center fielder Mike Cameron — are, respectively, Nos. 97 and 98 on my all-time list of Padres contributors.
98. Center Fielder Mike Cameron
Former Padres general manager Kevin Towers says the decision not to pursue Cameron as a free agent following the 2007 season was his biggest mistake. In two seasons with the Padres from 2006–2007, Cameron had a .255 batting average with 43 homers and 161 RBIs. And that’s just a piece of the story. Cameron also drew 138 walks in two seasons for a .341 on-base percentage and his .456 slugging percentage resulted in a .797 OPS. He also had 67 doubles, 15 triples and 43 steals. In 2006, Cameron had 22 homers and 25 steals. He finished 21st in the National League Most Valuable Player voting and won a Gold Glove for his defense. Cameron scored 88 runs in each of his two seasons as a Padre while missing only 32 games in two seasons. Acquired from the New York Mets on Nov. 18, 2005 for Xavier Nady, Cameron signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Brewers after two seasons as a leader in San Diego.
97. Right-handed reliever Scott Linebrink
Linebrink spent most of his five seasons with the Padres as the eighth-inning setup man to Trevor Hoffman. Linebrink was 27–12 as a Padre with four saves, a 2.73 earned run average in 306 appearances. In addition to being Hoffman’s setup man, Linebrink and Hoffman became close friends and leaders in the Padres bullpen. The Padres signed Linebrink off waivers from Houston on May 29, 2003. His best seasons with the Padres came during the opening season of Petco Park in 2004 (2.14 ERA in 73 games) and the National League West championship seasons of 2005 and 2006. Linebrink was 8–1 with a 1.83 ERA and 28 leads held in 73 appearances in 2005 and was 7–4 with 36 holds and a 3.57 ERA in 2006. Linebrink’s 306 appearances as a Padre ranks sixth on the franchise’s all-time list. The Padres traded Linebrink to the Milwaukee Brewers on July 25, 2007, for pitchers Joe Thatcher, Will Inman and Steve Garrison.
