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Trevor Hoffman is one of the most beloved players to ever wear a San Diego Padres uniform and that fact is highlighted with the results of this week’s Padres Reacts Survey. Gaslamp Ball asked readers which of the 2026 bobbleheads would get them to Petco Park to take in a game and the top choice was the Hall of Fame closer. The Hoffman bobblehead will be given out to the first 40,000 fans on Wednesday, July 8, when the Padres host the Arizona Diamondbacks at 7:10 p.m.
Hoffman started his tenure in San Diego at the end of the 1993 season, and he remained with the Padres through the 2008 season. Hoffman accumulated 552 of his 601 saves in San Diego, which included his career best 53 save season in 1998, helping the Padres reach the World Series. It is fitting the Hoffman bobblehead is donning the navy-blue hat and jersey with white pants that was the uniform during that magical season.
Not surprisingly, the Don & Mud theme game bobblehead, with Don Orsillo in his mini-yacht towing Mark “Mud” Grant sitting in a life ring, was the second choice. The broadcast team is routinely voted one of the best booths in MLB and Padres fans often make signs for the duo whether at home or on the road. The Don & Mud bobblehead will be given out Friday, July 31, when the Padres host the San Francisco Giants at 6:40 p.m. Fans must purchase a theme game ticket to receive one of these bobbleheads.
New Padres closer Mason Miller was also a top choice of fans joining Hoffman and Don & Mud as the only bobbleheads of the nine listed to receive 20 percent or more of the vote. The Miller bobblehead will be given out to the first 40,000 fans on Thursday, May 7, when the Padres host the St. Louis Cardinals at 7:10 p.m.
It has been a slow offseason for the Padres and their general manager A.J. Preller, but many fans and baseball reports still believe a major move is coming. Will that be as a trade or a free agent signing no one sees coming, only time will tell. The team, with stars like Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts in the lineup is enough to get fans to the stadium, but the added bonus of a promotional giveaway in the form of a bobblehead adds a little extra motivation to see the game in person.
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