Best MLB players not in the Hall of Fame: San Diego Padres, Jake Peavy
WAR value: 24.8
The San Diego Padres do not have an illustrious history of dominant pitching. The most notable pitcher in franchise history is Trevor Hoffman, who was a closer. However, Jake Peavy deserves some recognition if we are looking at others who had solid careers in San Diego.
Let’s start by saying Peavy is not headed to Cooperstown. He makes this list because outside of Hoffman and Tony Gwynn, the Padres are a tough team to find superstar talents. That is obviously changing in the present time, but this is new for the franchise.
Peavy spent eight years with the club and won a Cy Young Award in 2007. He was the league-leader in ERA and strikeouts that year, thus boosting his value for his eventual trade in 2009 to the Chicago White Sox.
Peavy was not terrible after leaving San Diego, but it is where he played his best baseball. The right-hander left with 92 wins and a 3.29 ERA. He is also fourth in team history in terms of batters faced, further illustrating how the Padres lack a dynamic history of pitching success.
The starter should hold a special place in Padres history for winning his Cy Young Award while in San Diego. Ending up in the team’s Hall of Fame will be his best hope of any sort of enshrinement.