San Diego Padres: Eric Hosmer to honor Yordano Ventura
New San Diego Padres first baseman Eric Hoser is set to honor a fallen teammate with his new jersey number.
During his time with the Kansas City Royals, Eric Hosmer had worn number 35. He had plenty of great moments in that jersey, winning a World Series, winning four Gold Glove awards, and making an All Star Game. Understandably, now that he has signed with the San Diego Padres, he would want to wear that same number.
The problem is that the Padres had already retired that number, honoring former pitcher Randy Jones. As such, Hosmer needed a new jersey number to wear. Faced with that decision, Hosmer has chosen to honor fallen Royals teammate Yordano Ventura, and will wear number 30 with the Padres.
I'm told Eric Hosmer will wear No. 30 to honor his late teammate Yordano Ventura.
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) February 20, 2018
Over the years, the number 30 has had a mixed legacy in San Diego. The best players to wear that number may well have been Eric Show and Ryan Klesko. Show had a lot of promise, but drug and alcohol addiction hindered his career, as well as led to his death in a rehab facility at 37 years old. Klesko made his only All Star Game in that number, but never became the offense threat that the Padres, or the Braves earlier in his career, had envisioned. Greg Maddux also wore the number during his time with the Padres, but was hardly the pitcher he was during his prime.
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This gives Hosmer the chance to make the number his own. While he took a number that had been worn by players like Hipolito Pichardo, Emil Brown, and Roger Nelson over the years and made it his own, Hosmer has a chance to truly create his own legacy out in San Diego.
In doing so, he will help honor the legacy of his fallen teammate. Ventura, along with Hosmer, Salvador Perez, and Danny Duffy, were expected to be the home grown core of the Royals going forward. Instead, Ventura fatal car accident prior to the 2017 season changed that, leaving a gaping hole on the roster that Kansas City was never able to fill.
As Hosmer moves forward and begins a new chapter in his career, it makes one wonder what could have been. Had Ventura not been on the road that day, or if he had been able to walk away from that accident, would the Royals have been able to retain Hosmer? Would the 2017 season have gone differently, leading to another postseason run? So many questions are left unanswered.
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Eric Hosmer will wear number 30 with the San Diego Padres. As he looks ahead at his future, he is honoring the past and his fallen teammate.