The Best Of 26: The Top San Diego Padres Players Who Have Worn The Number

I am very fond of numbers, statistics and just the figures themselves.

Stats can often help describe the success or failure of a sports team. The figures themselves, meanwhile, can be part of an identity. After all, when it comes to sports, who do you think of when you see 23 or 12 or 42 or 99?

But for most athletes, the uniform number can have a deeper meaning, mostly personal. Jersey numbers can also have a meaning for a franchise. With that in mind — and with the turn of calendar to 2026 — I wanted to explore the number 26 in San Diego Padres history.

I quickly learned that the number toils in relative anonymity in Friars history. But I forged ahead, creating this list of the top 10 players who have worn No. 26 as well as putting together a lineup of guys who donned those digits.

Austin Nola, C

Nola played for the Padres from 2020 to 2023, originally wearing No. 22 for his first season before switching to 26 when Josh Naylor was acquired at the trade deadline. He was mainly a backup with the Padres, although he did start 103 games in 2022. In those four years, Nola had a .234/.314/.320 slash line with nine homers and 86 RBIs over 237 games.

Archi Cianfrocco, IF

Cianfrocco came over to the Friars in a 1993 trade, a little more than a month before the deadline, from the Montreal Expos for right-handed reliever Tim Scott. Cianfrocco was very versatile and was primarily a utility player during his stay in San Diego, which lasted through 1998, his last season in MLB. Mainly a corner infielder, Cianfrocco played every position except center field, even seeing one game at catcher in 1996. His one inning behind the plate came in the ninth inning of a 6-0 of a June 9 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates after the Padres had gone through starter Brian Johnson and backup Brad Ausmus. Cianfrocco had a Padres career slash line of .241/.296/.382 with 27 homers and 154 RBIs.

Scott Sanders, RHP

Sanders had two stints with the Padres, donning No. 27 when he made his MLB debut in 1993 through 1996, then switching to No. 26 when he returned during the 1998 season via trade as Kevin Brown had the number. After starting 44 of his first 49 games, Sanders transitioned into a relief role in 1996, making 16 starts in 46 appearances. All 23 of his 1998 games were as a reliever. He had a 3.64 FIP and a 100 ERA+ with the Friars.

Ollie Brown, RF

A member of the original 1969 Padres team, Brown was first wearer of No. 26 in Friars history. In fact, Brown was involved in several firsts in team history: He was the first pick by the Padres in the 1968 expansion draft, being snatched from the San Francisco Giants, then was the Opening Day right fielder and cleanup hitter in the team's first season. Brown stuck with the Padres until May 1972, when he was traded to the Oakland A's. With the Friars, he had a .272/.327/.413 slash line with 52 homers and 208 RBIs in 458 games.

Yangervis Solarte, IF

Solarte joined the Padres at the 2014 trade deadline, coming over from the New York Yankees in the Chase Headley deal. Solarte began his Padres career wearing No. 27, but switched to 26 in 2015 after the offseason signing of star Matt Kemp. Solarte started out as mainly a third baseman, but also played second and some short and left field during his days with the Padres, which lasted until he was dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays before the 2018 season. He posted a .270/.326/.424 slash line with 51 homers and 215 RBIs in 445 games.

Dustin Moseley, RHP

Moseley had a star-crossed time in San Diego. He experienced his greatest success in a Padres uniform, but then also his biggest disappointment. After signing with the Padres before the 2011 season, Moseley became a mainstay of the Padres' rotation that season with a 3.99 FIP and 108 ERA+ on a bad team (71-91, last in NL West). But he dislocated his left (non-throwing) shoulder twice while batting, which ended his season in July. He was back for the 2012 season, but made just one start, injuring his right shoulder and needing season-ending surgery. That would end his MLB career, although he did attempt a comeback in 2014 with the Miami Marlins.

Chris Welsh, LHP

Another trade acquisition, Welsh came to the Friars from the the Yankees with center fielder Ruppert Jones, outfielder Joe Lefebvre and left-hander Tim Lollar for outfielder Jerry Mumphrey and right-hander John Pacella just as the 1981 season was to begin. Welsh pitched two-plus seasons with the Padres, with a good MLB debut season of 1981 and a 3.74 FIP. That ballooned to 4.99 in 1982 and led to his being sold to the Expos in May 1983.

Dave Kingman, 1B-LF

Yes, the well-known slugger donned 26 in his brief time with the Padres. Kingman came to the Padres in a June 1977 trade with the New York Mets for infielder Bobby Valentine and left-hander Paul Siebert. It was the start of a busy season of changing places for Kingman. He was waived by the Padres in September, claimed by the California Angels, who then traded him to the Yankees nine days later. The Padres trade was one of a series of related deals made that day, with the Mets sending Tom Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds in a monumental blockbuster. With the Padres, Kingman appeared in 56 games and hit 11 homers and drove in 39 runs. All of his movement made Kingman the first player to play in all four divisions in the same season (only East and West existed at the time).

Ed Wojna, RHP

Wojna came to the Padres in a late-1983 trade with the Philadelphia Phillies. He appeared in 36 games over the 1985-87 seasons, starting all 36, with a 4.19 FIP. Wojna was dealt to the Chicago White Sox after the 1987 season and only appeared in the majors again in 1988 with Cleveland.

Doug Brocail, RHP

Last but not least, Brocail is the only member of the No. 26 club who began his career with the Padres. He was taken with the 12th overall pick in the first round of the January 1986 draft, making his professional debut that summer. It took Brocail until the end of the 1992 season to make his MLB debut, but he did so wearing No. 49. That is what he would wear until the Friars shipped him to the Houston Astros in a blockbuster deal before the 1995 season in which the Padres landed third baseman Ken Caminiti, center fielder Steve Finley, shortstop Andujar Cedeno, first baseman Roberto Petagine and right-hander Brian Williams. Coincidentally, Williams would wear No. 26 with the Padres, too. Brocail would return to San Diego as a free agent for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. That is when he took claim of No. 26, which he wore after the Astros traded him to the Detroit Tigers before the 1997 season. In his two stints, Brocail had a 4.30 FIP in 131 games, including 27 starts, across five seasons.

The All-26 Padres lineup

Catcher: Austin Nola

First base: Dave Kingman

Second base: Terry Shumpert

Third base: Yangervis Solarte

Shortstop: Archi Cianfrocco

Left field: Don Reynolds

Center field: Mike Darr

Right field: Ollie Brown

Right-handed starter: Scott Sanders

Left-handed starter: Chris Welsh

Reliever: Doug Brocail