Eric Hosmer will wear No. 30 with Padres in honor of late teammate Yordano Ventura

Hosmer recently signed an eight-year contract with San Diego, and his usual No. 35 was spoken for

First baseman Eric Hosmer recently inked an eight-year contract with the San Diego Padres. Soon thereafter came the necessary business of choosing a uniform number to wear for his new employer. Hosmer has worn No. 35 for his entire big-league career, but No. 35 in San Diego is retired thanks to the bestowals of former Cy Young winner Randy Jones. 

Fortunately for Hosmer, not being able to have No. 35 allowed him to pay special tribute to one of his former Royals teammates. Let Hos himself explain: 

Hosmer and the late Yordano Ventura, who passed away tragically in a car crash in January of 2017, were teammates in Kansas City for parts of four seasons and were of course core members of the Royals team that won the pennant in 2014 and then the World Series in 2015. The fire-balling, excitable Ventura won't ever be forgotten in K.C., and now every time Hosmer takes the field for the Padres we'll be reminded of him. That, you know, is precisely the idea.