Best left-handed pitchers in Padres history

Wade LeBlanc

Drafted by the Padres in the second round of the 2006 MLB Draft, LeBlanc posted a 3.02 ERA in 14 appearances – including ten starts – across two levels of the farm system to close out his first year of professional baseball.

He made his debut as a September callup in 2008, making four starts and an appearance out of the bullpen. He returned to Triple-A El Paso for the majority of the 2009 season but returned to make nine starts and transitioned into the rotation in 2010.

In 26 appearances – including 25 starts – LeBlanc posted a 4.25 ERA while striking out 110 batters in 146.0 innings. He struggled with his command at times with over three BB/9. The following season would be his last in San Diego, making 11 starts and posting a 4.63 ERA while struggling to harness his command.

After the 2011 season, the Padres traded LeBlanc to the Marlins for catcher John Baker. After bouncing around on a few teams, he spent the 2015 season playing for the Saitama Seibu Lions, posting a 4.23 ERA in eight starts.

Clayton Richard

Richard came over from the Chicago White Sox as part of the Jake Peavy trade in July 2009, and Richard made his first start with the Padres in August. He would finish the year with 12 starts, posting a 4.08 ERA.

Between 2010 and 2012, Richard established himself as a dependable rotation piece with a 3.75, 3.88, and 3.99 ERA each year.

Richard fell off the wagon in 2013 with a 7.01 ERA through his first 11 starts and a career-worst 1.633 WHIP. The Padres attempted to demote him after the year, he refused and elected free agency.

He returned to San Diego in 2016 after being released by the Chicago Cubs. To close out the year, Richard made 11 appearances – including nine starts and a career-best 2.52 ERA. He would stick around the 2017 and 2018 seasons, but he was limited by a knee injury in August 2018.

Cory Luebke

The Padres tabbed Luebke as their first-round pick of the 2007 MLB Draft. He pitched across three levels of the minors to close out his draft year and made his big league debut as a September callup in 2010.

He made four appearances – including three starts – posting a 4.08 ERA and struck out nearly a batter per inning. In 2011, Luebke was utilized as a swingman making 46 appearances and 17 starts, logging a 3.29 ERA allowing just a .183 average as a reliever.

The following year, he transitioned back to the rotation, but after five starts needing Tommy John surgery. He would require a second surgery in 2014 and has been signed to minor league deals with the Pirates, Marlins, and White Sox since then.

Brad Hand

We have arrived. Brad Hand is the best left-handed pitcher to have ever pitched for the Padres. As a former second-round pick of the Marlins in the 2008 MLB Draft, a failed attempt as a starter resulted in him being designated for assignment in 2016.

The Padres claimed him off waivers and planned to utilize him as a bullpen arm. That move would end up making Hand one of the best back-end of the bullpen guys in baseball. While he was around for just two and a half seasons, Hand accumulated 280 strikeouts in only 213.0 innings of work.

He posted a career-best 2.66 ERA and was selected to consecutive All-Star games in 2017 and 2018. Hand would be traded to the Cleveland Indians in July 2018 in the deal that landed Francisco Mejia.

In 88 appearances with the Indians, he collected 42 saves and earned another All-Star selection in 2019.