San Diego Padres: Tyson Ross Among The Best In A Few Categories

San Diego Padres RHP Tyson Ross sits atop a few San Diego all-time pitching leaderboards.

It’s hard to find a more positive story out of the 2018 San Diego Padres than RHP Tyson Ross. Even general baseball fans have come to appreciate the Tyson Ross Bounce Back Tour, after it appeared his career was over, following a disastrous season in Texas. The future now appears cloudy, concerning his role with the Padres. Regardless of where he ends up, Ross has put up some fantastic numbers in San Diego.

Bouncing around the Baseball-Reference Play Index, I decided to take a look through various pitching numbers throughout the history of the Padres’ franchise. Don’t do it. When Andy Benes and Jake Peavy are two of the more successful starting pitchers in team history, well, that pretty much explains everything right there.

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Since 1969, the Padres have just 21 pitchers who have appeared in a minimum of 100 games, with at least 75% of their appearances being starts. Two of those pitchers currently play for the Padres, Clayton Richard and Tyson Ross.

Over the course of nearly five full seasons, Ross has made 97 starts (116 total games) for the Padres, logging 617 innings and posting a 31-40 record. He is currently tied (with Jake Peavy) for the franchise lead in highest strikeout percentage, 24.3% (among starters with at least 100 games under their belt). That’s more than four percentage points higher than Andy Benes, who sits next behind Ross and Peavy.

Ross also ranks number one in lowest earned run average, currently with a 3.18 ERA. Four pitchers in total have a career ERA of under 3.50 while with the Padres, Ross, Bruce Hurst, Jake Peavy, and Randy Jones.

Looking at a more detailed indicator, FIP, Ross is still number one on the career leaderboards at 3.24. Bruce Hurst comes in behind him at 3.34.

Next: The Progression Of Hudson Potts

Ross will inevitably be a hot-commodity over the next few weeks, as the trade deadline approaches. Contenders like Atlanta and New York desperately need starting pitching, however, comments from Andy Green seem to indicate that the team has an interest in Ross, past this season. Whether or not he remains in a Padres uniform, looking past the W/L record, Ross has been one of the better pitchers to toe the rubber in San Diego. Keep enjoying the Tyson Ross Bounce Back Tour, everybody.