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.

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.

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.