The Gulf Coast League (GCL) Padres were a Minor League Baseball team that played at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Florida in 1981 and 1982. The club played in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League as an affiliate of the San Diego Padres.
The Padres organization had not had a Rookie league affiliate prior to the GCL Padres and would not field one again until the Arizona League Padres formed in . McKechnie Field and Bradenton hosted several other teams before, during, and after the Padres tenure, with the GCL Pirates being the longest-running affiliate. McKechnie Field was later renovated and now is the home field of the Bradenton Marauders, a Pirates affiliate. The Rookie-level team, now called the Florida Complex League Pirates, also play in Bradenton.
Season-by-season Year Record Finish Manager Playoffs 1981 25–38 11th Jim Zerilla 1982 29–34 7th Manny Crespo Sources
Notable players
Ozzie Guillen (1981) Bob Patterson (1982)
References