Mark Loretta isn’t overlooked anymore.

“He had a Tony Gwynn-type year last year,” Bochy said.

Did he ever.

The mild-mannered second baseman had 208 hits, the only player in Padres history besides Gwynn to surpass 200. He hit .335, the eighth-highest average in team history. The top seven, of course, belong to Gwynn, an eight-time NL batting champion who finished his 20-year career with 3,141 hits.

“He’s the type of player that the more you see, the more impressed you are with him,” slugger Phil Nevin said.

The Padres have seen the best of Loretta the last two seasons. He had a career year in 2003 and again last year, when he was named an All-Star for the first time and helped the Padres contend until the last weekend of the season.

“I got off to the best start I’d ever gotten off to,” he said. “I’m somebody who usually kind of starts off slow in early April and May. Last year I seemed to get off to a much better start statistically. That kind of carried through.

“Maybe the balls were kind of falling for me a little bit early, and that kind of breeds confidence. And I felt as healthy as I’ve ever felt.”

Both factors were huge. Loretta didn’t have the same problems with Petco Park as the Padres sluggers, who were immediately psyched out by the new ballpark’s vast outfield that swallowed what they thought should be home runs.

For the second consecutive year, Loretta played in a career-high 154 games. He missed significant time due to injuries during the 2000 and 2001 seasons when he was with Milwaukee.

Loretta’s .335 average and 208 hits were career bests, as were his 47 doubles, 16 homers, 108 runs, 76 RBIs, .391 on-base percentage and .495 slugging percentage.

Joining Gwynn as the only Padres players with 200 hits “was special,” Loretta said. “That was something that had always kind of been a goal of mine my whole career. It’s kind of like a magic number. It’s kind of like driving in 100 runs for an RBIs hitter.’

Loretta would love to get 200 hits again. “More importantly, my goal is to score as many runs as I can. Last year was the first year I scored 100, so if I can score at least that many, it will mean a lot for the team in general.”

	Mark Loretta had 208 hits last season.

Bochy has said many times that the Padres didn't fully appreciate Loretta until they saw him on an everyday basis.

Loretta signed as a free agent in December 2002.

“He’s exceeded what we thought he’d be able to do,” general manager Kevin Towers said. “When he’s healthy, he’s actually been kind of an Ironman for us.”

Loretta, who forms a solid double-play combo with shortstop Khalil Greene, is also one of the best bargains in baseball. He’ll make $2.75 million this season. Next year is his option year, at $3 million.

“We got lucky,” Bochy said. “Kevin says that, because I know we were talking about getting Royce Clayton here and that didn’t work out, so we got Loretta. Talk about finding lightning in a bottle. This guy has done a tremendous job for us.

“He plays both sides of the ball so well,” Bochy said. “He’s a guy that we’re realizing how good he is.”

If Loretta had been overlooked before in his career, he’s not anymore.

“I think it’s more a function of not really being a flashy type player,” he said. “I’m not somebody who has the big power or speed or whatever. I think my strength is my consistency.”