PEORIA, Ariz. _ Eric Hosmer knew what he wanted to do when he found out his old number was not available with his new team.
With No. 35 taken _ retired, actually, in honor of former Cy Young winner Randy Jones _ Hosmer decided on wearing No. 30 as a Padre.
It is a tribute to former Kansas City Royals teammate Yordano Ventura. The pitcher, who signed with the Royals the same year Hosmer was drafted by that organization, died in January 2017 in an automobile accident in his native Dominican Republic.
Hosmer arrived at the Padres complex on Monday, signed his contract, took his physical and sought out Padres third base coach Glenn Hoffman.
"I told him that it would mean a lot to me if I could wear No. 30 and continue Yordano's legacy," Hosmer said Tuesday. "... All those guys in Kansas City, we all shared good moments with him and obviously shared a really tough moment with his passing. It really meant a lot to me. Hoff was more than open to let me carry on that number. Like I told him, I'll wear it with pride each and every day."
Hoffman was wearing No. 26 as the Padres took the field for the first full-squad workout later Tuesday.
