Happy 25th birthday to Anthony Bass! The young Friar did a little bit of everything last season, his second. He started 15 games and came out of the 'pen in nine others. Bass registered a complete game, a save, and- my favorite moment of his- a bases loaded triple in 2012.
Four other Padres from years past also have candles to blow out today. Here they are along with their brand-new ages and a brief history lesson on each:
Eddie Williams, 48: Williams served three separate tours of duty with the Padres. His first was in 1990, his fifth season with time spent in the majors. He then spent time playing in Japan, Mexico, and AAA ball for Atlanta and Milwaukee before returning to San Diego for the 1994 and '95 seasons. After two seasons spent in Detroit, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh, Eddie got 28 AB with the '98 NL champions in his swan song.
Fernando Valenzuela, 52: I think pretty much everybody knows about Fernando so I won't waste too much of your time. He came over as a free agent before the '95 season and was an instant fan favorite despite being a shell of his former self. After being traded to St. Louis in June, 1997, Valenzuela promptly went 0-4 in five starts and was out of the league within a month.
Jose Moreno, 55: Here's one that was news to me. Moreno saw time in 34 games with the 1981 Padres, mostly as a pinch hitter. It was both his second and penultimate season as he played briefly with the Mets in '80- before coming over in a trade for Randy Jones- and got 3 AB for the '82 Angels.
Miguel Dilone, 58: Dilone was a Padre in 1985 for the last 27 games of his odd, 12 year career. He hit .341 in 1980, the only season he qualified for the title yet routinely hit around the Mendoza line in others. He led the AL in CS in 1978 with 23 despite getting less than 300 PA; strangely, he led the NL in steal percentage in 1984 with a 93.1% (27/29) mark. His time in San Diego was less eventful, although he did steal 10 bases in 13 tries.