Fernando Tatis Jr. has bounced back from a rough start to the season

Maxime Trudeau
Fernando Tatis Jr. has bounced back from a rough start to the season
Credit: MLB.com

After a slow start to the season, the San Diego Padres managed to turn things around at just the right time, putting them in third place among the National League Wild Card teams. They even hold a two-game lead over their closest rival, the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

How can this be explained? Simple: the team's big hitters have finally started to come alive, at least a little. Above all, Fernando Tatis Jr. is living up to his immense talent and inspiring his teammates. He's been particularly on fire since the All-Star break. Tatis Jr. leads the league with 12 home runs since that game in Philadelphia, tied with Pete Crow-Armstrong, the favorite to win the MVP title!

Truly, Tatis has come a long way.

A More Mature Player

As of today, the outfielder is batting .290, has an OPS of .814, and has 17 home runs to his credit. That last stat is particularly interesting, considering his first home run of the season came on May 30. Yes, May 30. And it's not just at the plate that No. 23 is excelling. Defensively, he shines and makes headlines more often than not. Seriously, he's a joy to watch play, and his enthusiasm on the field is contagious.

The Dominican is now 27 years old. He may have reached the age where he realizes that talent alone isn't enough—you need the right attitude. Remember, he burst onto the MLB scene in 2019, when he was barely 20 years old. He was the league's next big star—its very face! He graced the cover of MLB The Show in 2021 and finished third in the MVP voting that year. Then came his suspension in 2022. Injuries, motorcycle accidents, and a consistently nonchalant attitude. His star had faded. Not bad!

But maturity can't be bought—it's earned, one day at a time. Yeah, Tatis Jr. might have reached that stage in his life now—the stage where he's got both feet on the ground and is becoming aware of the repercussions and impacts of his actions, both positive and negative. 

The Padres will be ones to watch for the rest of the season and in the playoffs, if things continue this way. After all, they haven't posted the best record in baseball over the past month (21-7) for nothing.

Tatis Jr. has risen to the occasion, unlike his compatriot

You know who's also 27 years old, is Dominican, made his Manfred League debut at age 20 in 2019 to huge fanfare, graced the cover of MLB The Show, whose father also played for the Expos, and who had a rough start to the season? Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Hats off to the Padres player for doing what the Blue Jays player couldn't: bounce back after a tough start to the season. The success of both teams hinges on these two players. They hold the keys to the car. Yet the Jays aren't even playing for .500, and the Padres are the team of the moment. And if, by some miracle, Toronto makes the playoffs, it won't be thanks to its franchise player.

The point isn't that Guerrero Jr. is an immature player. He clearly cares deeply about his team's success—that's obvious. However, he's never been able to turn things around and carry his team on his shoulders the way Tatis has. 

Created by humans, assisted by AI.

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