Former Padres Pitcher Traded For Fernando Tatis Jr. Makes 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot
The 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballots came out and one former Padres pitcher made the cut. Right-hander James Shields made the list, and most Padres fans don’t remember him for his performance on the mound.
Sheilds was the pitcher that was traded to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for two prospects. One of those prospects was infielder Fernando Tatis Jr., who now is an All-Star level player for the Friars.
It has been a running joke that the Padres fleeced the White Sox in the deal, but Shields did have a relatively successful MLB career. Of course, San Diego would much rather have Tatis Jr. but in retrospect, this is irony at its finest.
Shields didn’t spend much time with the Padres, but he is forever entrenched in their history. After being traded from San Diego, he spent three years with the White Sox but never posted an ERA lower than 4.53.
The later stages of his career weren’t the greatest, which is why it’s a little surprising that he made the ballot for the Hall of Fame. He spent most of his career with the Tampa Bay Rays, and that is where most of his success was formed.
His best season of his career came in 2011 when he posted an ERA of 2.82 and finished third in the Cy Young Voting. It was his lone All-Star appearance as well.
He had a 13-year career, posting an ERA of 4.01 over 2616 innings of work. Shields also struck out 2,234 batters throughout his career, and he had a record of 145-139.
Congrats to the former Padres pitcher on making the ballot, and maybe, just maybe he will get voted in one day, even if it’s a longshot.
