Is Bruce Bochy the Biggest ‘One That Got Away’ for the Padres?

Would Bruce Bochy have led the San Diego Padres to many world championships if he stayed in San Diego?

Bruce Bochy is back in the World Series once again and it certainly brings back a trauma point for some Padres fans. The legendary is headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame after he retires. He began his managerial career with the San Diego Padres in 1995. With one World Series appearance under his belt, Bochy left San Diego after the 2006 season, and the rest is history. 

Many Padres fans are asking if Bochy is the one who got away. After the skipper was allowed to leave for San Francisco, he went on to lead the Giants to three NL Pennants and three World Series titles in five seasons.

Since 1969 when the Padres came into the National League, the  club has been to the World Series only twice in franchise history and with no titles to show for it.

During their history, the Padres have had many talented players, including Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, but playing with a limited payroll, the Padres usually don’t have the necessary depth to have a World Series-caliber team. San Diego is a medium-sized market, and the Padres don’t have the fiscal resources like the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets, and the New York Yankees.

Bochy was a fantastic manager while managing the Padres, even winning the National League Manager of the Year in 1996. However, he needed a place to learn how to be an effective manager. San Diego was that for Bochy. 

If Bochy hadn’t gone to San Francisco, he probably wouldn’t earn the status of a great manager. The Padres didn’t have rookies like Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner, who played integral roles in each of Bochy’s world championships. The Padres didn’t go out and get talented free agents, which didn’t have big names.

No one can predict a team’s success no matter how great the manager is. But Bochy has found ways to bring out the best in his teams. With the Padres in 1998. Certainly with the Giants in 2010, 2012, and 2014. And now with the Texas Rangers who are trying to bring home their first ever world championship in 2023.