Best left-handed pitchers in Padres history

Where will Joey Lucchesi and, eventually, MacKenzie Gore rank all-time on the Padres best left-handers?

The Padres don’t have a lengthy history of successful left-handers that have come through the organization. However, MacKenzie Gore is hoping to change the narrative as the 21-year-old was expected to make his highly-anticipated debut this year. But while we wait for the owners and MLBPA to, hopefully, settle on some form of a payscale, we may be forced to wait another year to see Gore’s debut.

So without further ado, here are the best left-handed pitchers to pitch to have ever pitched in the Padres’ organization.

David Wells

The Padres caught Wells at the end of his career. After winning two World Series titles with the Blue Jays and Yankees, San Diego signed him to a one-year deal for the 2004 season. Wells made 31 starts and posted a 3.73 ERA while striking out 101.0 batters in an efficient 195.2 innings of work.

While he didn’t garner any national attention for his efforts, he led the NL with a 0.9 walks-per-nine-innings. Wells returned to San Diego in August 2006 and remained with the team for the 2007 season as well. In the former, he posted a 3.49 ERA in just five starts.

The following year was the beginning of the end for Wells. At age 44, he posted a career-worst 5.54 ERA in 22 starts and was eventually released in August to make room for Chris Young, who was coming off the injured list.