For the Padres, Fernando Tatis Jr. will play on Opening Day for the first time since 2021. A motorcycle accident in the Dominican Republic left him with a fractured wrist and an 80-game PED suspension, which kept him out of action for the entirety of 2022. It was the same suspension that kept him out of the first 20 games in 2023. Many fans are wondering if he can get back to MVP form after an ok comeback.
In 2021, Tatis became the MVP for the first time. At the age of 22, he cut.282/.364/.611 with 135 hits, 42 home runs (leading the National League), 97 RBI, 99 runs scored, and a major league-leading 7.3 offensive WAR. In addition, he earned his second Silver Slugger trophy, made his debut as an All-Star, and
Tatis hadn’t appeared in a regular-season game in 564 days between that final game on October 3, 2021, and his return on April 20, 2023. Many assumed he would be a little rusty because players can practice all they want, but there’s no way to replicate the experience of playing a real game. Those conjectures were realized with a mediocre level of offensive output.
After participating in 141 games, he concluded 2023 with career lows in slugging percentage (.322), on-base percentage (.322), and batting average (.257). Additionally, since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, in which he appeared in just 59 games, he tied for his lowest offensive WAR (2.8). Fortunately, he saw a significant increase in defensive production after moving from shortstop to right field. If not, regarded as an But in general, defensive performance doesn’t define the best players. Nowadays, offense reigns supreme, and a player is sure to be mentioned in the MVP conversation if they lead the league in a crucial statistic like home runs. Tatis can regain his elite status if he can combine his 2021 hitting prowess with his 2023 defensive skill.
In 2024, he participated in eight Dominican Winter League games for the Estrellas Orientales, so fans didn’t have to wait until spring training to see him. He finished with a 1.062 on-base plus slugging percentage, according to Baseball Reference. He also hit a game-winning two-run home run in the 10th inning on January 2 that just so coincidentally fell on his birthday. Tatis will have a fantastic season if he can duplicate some of t ccurrently projects him to have a better season than in 2023, with 163 hits, 38 home runs, 105 runs scored, and 106 runs batted in in addition to a slash line of.273/.346/.526. While he may not lead the league in production with those figures, the now 25-year-old is off to a strong start.
Given that he has 11 years remaining on his enormous 14-year, $340 million fully guaranteed contract, it is crucial that he steps up as soon as possible. Should he fail to do so, the Padres will be further entrenched in a financial and personnel predicament that has historically been difficult to escape.hat electricity, even though the talent obviously isn’t as good as what is seen in MLB.
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