Padres name Chris Gwynn Director, Player Personnel and Dave Roberts as Special Assistant, Baseball Operations

San Diego, CA – The San Diego Padres announced today they have named professional scout Chris Gwynn as Director, Player Personnel and former Padre outfielder Dave Roberts as a Special Assistant to Baseball Operations. The club has also promoted Josh Stein to Director, Baseball Operations. Executive Vice President/General Manager Jed Hoyer made the announcements.

“We are excited to give significant additional responsibilities to two deserving long-time employees,” said Hoyer. “Chris has been a valuable scout for the Padres for twelve seasons and will be a key evaluator and voice in all baseball decisions. Josh has been a stand-out employee in his advance scouting and research roles. He will ably assist us in all areas of the department.

“Dave will work with players throughout the organization on outfield defense, base running, and bunting. His knowledge and energy will be a big addition to the entire department. We are thrilled to bring him back to the Padres.”

Gwynn, 45, began his scouting career as an amateur scout for the Padres in 1998. He was promoted to cross checker in 2004 and has served as a professional scout for the Padres since 2006. The younger brother of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn and uncle of current Padre Tony Gwynn, Jr., Chris was a first-round selection, 10th overall pick, by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1985 First-Year Player Draft. He spent parts of 10 seasons in the Majors with the Dodgers (1987-91, 94-95), Kansas City Royals (1992-93) and Padres (1996).

A career .261-hitter, Gwynn hit 17 home runs, 118 RBI, 119 runs scored and 36 doubles over 599 Major League games. On the last game of the 1996 season he delivered the game-winning two-run, pinch-hit double in the top of the 11th inning to complete a three-game sweep of the Dodgers and clinch the Padres’ second National League West Division championship. He played three seasons for San Diego State and set the then NCAA Division I record for most hits in a season (137) in 1984, also being named to the U.S. Olympic Baseball team that year. Gwynn entered the San Diego State Hall of Fame still holding the Aztec records for career RBI, doubles and total basses.

Roberts rejoins the Padres after spending the 2009 season as an analyst for the New England Sports Network. The 37-year-old played parts of 10 seasons in the Majors with the Cleveland Indians (1999-2001), Los Angeles Dodgers (2002-04), Boston Red Sox (2004), Padres (2005-2006) and San Francisco Giants (2007-2008).

From his first full season in 2002 to his last full season in 2007, Roberts ranked fourth among all Major League players with 226 stolen bases. In 2006 he hit a career-high .293 for the Padres and tied the franchise’s single-season record with a career-high 13 triples, matching Tony Gwynn’s mark from 1987. Born in Japan, Roberts attended Rancho Buena Vista High School in San Diego and went on to earn a degree from UCLA, playing left field for the Bruins and finishing his collegiate career as the school’s all-time stolen base leader (109).

Stein began his professional career as an intern in the Padres baseball operations department. The 31-year-old graduated with a degree from UC Berkeley in 2000 and earned his J.D. from UC Hastings in 2005. A native of San Diego, Stein joined the Padres in 2003 and was promoted to his most recent post as Coordinator, Baseball Research & Advance Scouting after the 2005 season.

Source: Major League Baseball/Padres

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