On May 20, during a night doubleheader in Atlanta, Fernando Tatis, Jr. ran 84 feet across the Atlanta outfield grass and hit the fence at Truist Park, snatching away good friend Ronaldinho. A shot from Ronald Acuña, Jr.
“It’s just love for the game, more than anything,” Tatis told reporters afterward about the catch. “I know this is going to hurt.”
Tatis, 25, has always played loud and uninhibited. Borderline reckless. He was known for leaping and diving to catch balls, dancing in the outfield, jumping around on the bases and stealing home. In 2021, Tatis became the youngest player ever to appear on the cover of MLB the Show. His jersey sales rank among the top three in the league. Young fans tried to imitate his swing and swagger, imitated his epic bat flips and drooled over his shoes.
Tatis’ ever-changing sneakers this season are flashy and fun, but the fact that he’s a star without a shoe sponsorship deal is also a reminder of who he is right now. Two years ago, just months after he signed a 14-year, $340 million contract extension, the league discovered the steroid Clostebol in his system. Tatis was suspended for 80 games as he was rehabbing when he failed a drug test. He initially claimed the failed drug test was due to treatment for ringworm, but later apologized and took responsibility for his actions.
Tatis was once viewed as the future face of baseball, but was quickly dropped by Adidas. Gatorade and Dairy Queen ads featuring him were pulled, and he earned a new, unflattering label: steroid user.
Tatis also is coming off multiple surgeries and won a Platinum Glove last season, his first in the outfield. But he struggled at the plate, hitting .257/.322/.449 with a 112 OPS+. On the road, Tatis was booed. Nationally, baseball has found other young stars to move up in the 564 days between Tatis’ major league games.
This season, Tatis, the son of former major leaguer Fernando Tatis, is still not hitting as well as he once did — .244/.328/.412 as of Wednesday. But his passion for the game is back and he’s feeling more like himself.
“I actually like being under the radar,” Tatis Jr. said in front of his locker this spring. Then, realizing how surprising that sounded, he dropped his head and chuckled. “But at the same time, we can’t deny ourselves.”
Tatis Jr. (homer against the Cubs in April) has a lot of talent, but off the field, he speaks so quietly that teammates often struggle to hear him. (Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres via Getty Images)
On the field, Tatis is responsible for some of the most powerful bat flips in the game, often accompanied by yelling, jumping or chest-beating. Away from it, you have to strain to hear his voice. Behind the animated display, Tatis is soft-spoken and — as first-year Padres head coach Mike Shildt put it — “cute.”
“I’ve always been quieter than my brothers and sisters,” said Tatis, who is from San Pedro Macoris, Dominican Republic. “I like to listen and I like to laugh.”
Tatis’ first steps in the major leagues came as a kid following his father around the clubhouse in Montreal, swinging a small bat around the field. While with the New York Mets, the elder would take Jr. to the batting room and encourage him to talk to other major leaguers, such as Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado and Angel Pagan. Tatis Sr. played a few seasons in winter ball to wrap up his career, and by then Tatis Jr. had shown signs of becoming a star and was old enough to keep an eye on and hone in on. own skills.
In 2015, at the age of 16, he signed with the White Sox. They later traded Tatis to the Padres, and by 2019, Manny Machado and then-Padres veteran Eric Hosmer lobbied general manager AJ Preller to promote Tatis out of the minors , and said Tatis needs to play if the Padres really want to win. Preller listened, and Tatis’ career quickly took off.
Tatis finished third in NFC Rookie of the Year voting that year, despite playing in only 84 games due to a season-ending back injury. The following season, he finished fourth in the NL MVP race and finished third in 2022. Has its own color matching Adidas Ultra Boost running shoes.
“It was a lot,” Tatis said, looking back on his first few years in the league. “It’s not just baseball. I don’t want to say I’m misinformed, but I’m a little distracted sometimes.
Then everything fell apart. When news of Tatis’ positive doping test became public, he was rehabbing at Double-A San Antonio from an offseason motorcycle accident that left him with a broken wrist. The injury occurred during baseball’s lockout, when teams were prohibited from talking to players. Tatis came into spring training still sore in his wrist, and a subsequent MRI confirmed the fracture. He was preparing to return when he was suspended.
The response to the pause was swift and visceral. Tatis’ bobblehead night was canceled and his presence almost immediately disappeared from team videos on the JumboTron. A giant Tatis mural outside Petco Park was removed. The baseball guy was nowhere to be found.
“Reputationally, this is not an easy situation. People are going to make judgments,” Preller said. “He’s had to deal with that over the past few years.”
When Tatis reported to spring training last year, he was still suspended but able to practice with the team. He worked with Padres outfield coach David Macias, who helped Tatis transition from shortstop to right field, a move motivated by a desire to retain Tatis by reducing motion and reducing collisions. Si suffered multiple shoulder dislocations and several other injuries.
When he returned on April 20, 2023, Tatis, now in right field, sat in the front row and was met with hostility from fans. Teammate Nelson Cruz, who was suspended 50 games in 2013 for his role in the Biogenesis scandal, and Machado both offered their voices of support. Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove, one of the few veterans Tatis addressed the suspension first, said his teammates quickly moved on. But, he told Tatis, ultimately he needs to forgive himself.
“You can’t let that thought stick in your head, ‘I’m called a liar and a steroid guy, and I have to act a certain way,'” Musgrove said. “It’s over. Now move on so you can be the player you were before all this happened. He was unbelievable before all this happened. I still believe he’s going to be a great player afterwards.
In 141 games in 2023, Tatis is a solid defender who ranks second among outfielders in runs defensed (+27) and ultimate zone efficiency (+12.3), but his hitting The hands are unremarkable.
This past offseason, Tatis returned to the Dominican Republic for his first winter game since becoming a major leaguer, returning to his former team, the Leedom-based Eastern Stars. . His coach? his father. Although Tatis only played in a handful of winter ball games, his offensive production was reminiscent of his best years.
“I need that. I need to play again,” Tatis said.
“It kind of rattled him going into (the season), and I don’t think that’s a bad thing,” Machado said.
Tatis entered spring training more outspoken and confident in front of teammates and in meetings, no longer unsure of how others would perceive his presence.
“I told him, ‘If you’re more outspoken, we’re going to win,'” Machado said. “‘We need you, people respect you. If you make your voice heard, you’ll lead us in the right direction. He’s been doing that since the offseason. He’s definitely matured a lot.
When asked what he’s learned over the past two years, Tatis said, “Things are never as bad as they seem.”
The Padres asked Tatis to cover more ground in his second season as an outfielder to better utilize his athleticism while also helping rookie center fielder Jackson Merrill. Early on, Tatis experimented with playing closer to midfield and deeper.
“He’s going to be able to change the game, steal home runs and make real athletic plays where he can jump over walls or acrobatically jump off walls,” Macias said. “There’s no better player like him in the game than Not much.”
Tatis and his teammates believe Tatis’ offense will eventually return to its prime.
“The ballpark was like his playground,” said Macias, who was impressed last year when Tatis took live batting practice before every game, an unusual move in the majors. habit. “He’s always trying to create something and is never satisfied. He wants to be in control, so you keep seeing better Tati.
If 2023 was a redemption tour, 2024 might be about baseball again for Tatis. Even after the layoff, Tatis remains one of the most marketable players in baseball. He is a charismatic Latino player who speaks fluent English and has the gift of a showman in a sport where almost half the players are born outside the United States. He has added new partnerships this year, appearing in Corona’s opening day commercial and inking a deal with Champs, while also discussing a number of other potential companies.
Although Tatis has had his share of ups and downs in his career, he’s still only 25 years old.
“How old is he?” Musgrove said.
Cronenworth, 30, laughed when Tatis’ age was mentioned, then said, “I feel like he should be closer to my age.”
Tatis said he does want to be the face of baseball again, or at least be a part of the conversation, but only because it means he’s playing at an All-Star level. Along the way, he believes fans will discover there’s more beneath his surface.
“There’s a lot people don’t know about me,” he said this spring, before grabbing his gloves and heading to the court. “It will come out over time.”
(Above: John Bradford/ Competitor; Photo: Rob Tringali/Getty Images)
