12 Padres That Wore No. 30 Before Eric Hosmer
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January 22, 2017 was a day that marked the lives of several people in the baseball community as Yordano Ventura and Andy Marte died in two separate car crashes in the Dominican Republic. Ventura was still a young and promising pitcher at just 25 years old and his death came as a shock, especially since members of the baseball community were still mourning the death of Jose Fernandez, who had passed on just a few months before this incident.
The Dominican flamethrower was well liked by his teammates on the Kansas City Royals, who have already honored his legacy in several ways. Eric Hosmer will honor his former teammate in this upcoming 2018 MLB season as he will sport the No. 30 with his new team, the San Diego Padres.
That is the same number that “Ace Ventura” wore in 104 games pitching for the Kansas City Royals in his short MLB career.
Coach Glen Hoffman has used the number on the back of his jersey over the past few years for the Padres, but was asked by Hosmer if he could take the number to honor Ventura. Hosmer will be the 13th Padres’ player to wear No.30 as he tries to lead a franchise into a fruitful rebuilding process.
Here is a rundown of the other 12 players that have sported No. 30 for the Friars over the years in the MLB.
Mike Corkins RHP
The Riverside native was a member of the San Francisco Giants organization when he was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 1968 MLB expansion draft. Corkins spent his entire MLB career in San Diego from 1969-1974 as a relief and starting pitcher. The right-hander wore the No.30 from 1969-1971 and posted a 4.39 ERA with a 19-28 record and nine saves in 157 games with the Friars.
Derrel Thomas INF/OF
Thomas inherited No.30 from Mike Corkins in 1972 and wore that number throughout most of his career in honor of his hero, Maury Wills. The Los Angeles native had an extensive playing career from 1971-1985 and played with the Padres from 1972-1974, then again in 1978. Thomas hit .236 with 11 home runs and 42 stolen bases in his four years with the club.
Hector Torres INF
Torres was the second-ever Mexican-born player in Padres’ franchise history and played with the team from 1975-1976 before being traded to the Cleveland Indians. The Monterrey, Mexico native was part of a deal that brought over George Hendrick to San Diego and shipped off Johnny Grubb and Fred Kendall to Cleveland.
Tim Flannery INF
Before being a fan favorite among Friar faithful with his No.11, Tim Flannery was a 21-year-old rookie that wore No. 30 in 1979. The infielder was part of that memorable 1984 team and will be forever remembered by the Padres’ fan base, despite his time with the San Francisco Giants as a coach.
Dave Cash 2B
Cash wrapped up his 11-year playing career in 1980 with the Padres after being a notable player with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1974-1976, where he made the All-Star game in each of those years. The second baseman had a very respectable career as he had over 1,500 hits and a batting average of .283. His one year with the Friars was not a memorable one as he hit just .227 in 130 games with the team.
Danny Boone LHP
Boone is one of the more intriguing names on this list as he only played in MLB for three years in 1981, 1982, and again in 1990. The left-hander played with the Padres from 1981-1982 before being traded to the Houston Astros for Joe Pittman. Boone then disappeared for a few years and made a spectacular comeback to MLB at the age of 36 in 1990 with the Baltimore Orioles. He only pitched in four games with the O’s, but it was remarkable that there was such a sizeable gap between the times he stepped on an MLB mound.
Eric Show RHP
Show started off with the No.44 in 1981, but then went on to sport No.30 for the Padres from 1982-1990. The Riverside native had a very successful career, but many consider him to be a story of wasted talent as he struggled with drug abuse and other controversies throughout his life. Show was part of the famed 1984 team and posted a 3.59 ERA with a 100-87 record a decade with the Padres.
Kevin Ward OF
Ward’s story is one of grit and never giving up as he grinded it out for nine seasons in the minors before reaching the show with the San Diego Padres in 1991 at the age of 29. The outfielder played 125 games in the MLB with the Friars from 1991-1992 and hit .217 with five home runs.
Phil Clark 1B/OF
Clark played with the Padres from 1993-1995 and was never quite able to replicate the season he had in 1993 with the team. Clark hit .313 with nine home runs in ’93, then dropped off dramatically after that, hitting just above the Mendoza line in the rest of his tenure with the Friars.
Ryan Klesko 1B
Klesko is one of the more notable players on this list as he was a star and fan favorite in his time with the Pads from 2000-2006. The California native posted a .279 batting average and hit 133 bombs in his seven years with Bruce Bochy’s team.
Greg Maddux RHP
The lone Hall of Famer on this list is the great Greg Maddux, who played in San Diego towards the end of his career. “The Professor” joined the Friars in 2007 and was later traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008. He was very successful with the Padres as he still managed to snag a couple of gold gloves in his time with the team despite being over 40 years old at the time.
The last player to sport No. 30 for the Padres before the arrival of Eric Hosmer was Eliezer Alfonzo back in 2009. The Venezuelan catcher hit under the Mendoza line in just 37 games with the Friars and will not be a name many fans will remember.
Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.