| Fernando Tatís Jr. | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Tatís with theSan Diego Padres in 2023 | |
| San Diego Padres – No. 23 | |
| Right fielder /Shortstop | |
| Born: (1999-01-02)January 2, 1999 (age 26) San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| March 28, 2019, for the San Diego Padres | |
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |
| Batting average | .277 |
| Home runs | 152 |
| Runs batted in | 393 |
| Stolen bases | 124 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Fernando Gabriel Tatís Medina Jr. (tah-TEES; born January 2, 1999), nicknamed "El Niño" and "Bebo",[1] is a Dominican professionalbaseballright fielder andshortstop for theSan Diego Padres ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). He is the son of former MLB playerFernando Tatís Sr.
Tatís made his MLB debut in 2019 as ashortstop. He won theSilver Slugger Award in 2020 and signed a 14-year, $340 million contract extension before the 2021 season. He was named anAll-Star in 2021 and won a second Silver Slugger Award, before missing the 2022 season due to injury and a suspension for using aperformance-enhancing substance. Tatís won aPlatinum Glove Award in 2023, when he was moved to right field. Tatís made All-Star appearances again in 2024 and 2025.
Tatís was born inSan Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic.[2] His father,Fernando Sr., was already playing in his third year ofMajor League Baseball (MLB) when Tatís was born, playing for theSt. Louis Cardinals at the time.[3] Fernando Jr. held an interest in baseball from a young age, and was athletic and spent a lot of time in big league clubhouses. He often practiced withRobinson Canó, who is also from San Pedro de Macorís.[4]
TheChicago White Sox signed Tatís as an internationalfree agent from the Dominican Prospect League in 2015.[5][6] On June 4, 2016, before he had played a professional game, the White Sox traded Tatís, then 17 years old, andErik Johnson to the Padres forJames Shields.[7][8] Tatís spent 2016 with theArizona League Padres of theRookie-levelArizona League and theTri-City Dust Devils of theClass A-Short SeasonNorthwest League,[9]batting a combined .273 with fourhome runs and 25runs batted in (RBIs) in 55 games; on defense, he made 15errors and had a .904fielding percentage.[10]
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In 2017, Tatís played 117 games for theFort Wayne TinCaps of theClass AMidwest League and 14 games for theSan Antonio Missions of theClass AATexas League, posting a combined .278 batting average with 22 home runs, 75 RBIs, and 32stolen bases as he was caught 15 times, and on defense, he made 30 errors and had a .936 fielding percentage.[11][12][13] In 2017–18, he played 17 games atshortstop for theEstrellas de Oriente of theDominican Winter League, batting .246 with one home run and three RBIs.[10]
Tatís entered 2018 as one of the top prospects in the minor leagues.[14] He returned to play shortstop for San Antonio, and in 88 games he batted .286 with 16 home runs, 43 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases.[10] On July 23, 2018, Tatís underwent season-ending surgery for a broken left thumb and ligament damage suffered during a head-firstslide.[15] He returned to play for the Estrellas for the 2018–19 winter season.[16]
At the beginning of 2019, Tatís was ranked as one of the top three prospects in baseball by MLB Pipeline,ESPN,Baseball America, andBaseball Prospectus.[17][18][19] On March 26, 2019, the Padres announced that Tatís made theirOpening Day roster.[20] In his major league debut, he recorded twohits against the San Francisco Giants.[21] On April 1, 2019, Tatís hit his first major league home run.[22]
In August, Tatís injured his back, which ended his 2019 season.[23] He finished the season hitting .317/.379/.590 with 22 home runs, 61 runs, and 106 hits over 84 games.[24] He came in third place in balloting for theNational League Rookie of the Year Award, behindPete Alonso andMike Soroka.[25]
In the 2020 season, Tatís was part of a four-game streak in August in which the San Diego Padres hit four grand slams, and, notably, was at each base position over the four.[26] There was a controversy involving Tatís when he swung at a 3–0 pitch in the eighth inning, hitting an opposite-field grand slam against theTexas Rangers. This caused some discussion at the time regarding breaking an "unwritten rule of baseball" since the Padres were already up by seven runs.[27]
In 2020, Tatís led the NL in power-speed number (13.4) and batted .277/.366/.571 (10th in the league) with 50 runs (2nd), 17 home runs (2nd), 42 RBIs (4th), and 11 stolen bases (4th) in 224 at-bats.[1] Of all major league hitters, he had the highest averageexit velocity (95.9 MPH), percentage of hard-hit balls (62.2), and percentage of barrels/plate appearance (12.5%).[28]
In Game 2 of the2020 Wild Card Series against theSt. Louis Cardinals, Tatís was able to help bring the Padres back into winning position by hitting two home runs that made it possible for the Padres to win the series and head to the next round against theDodgers, which they lost in three straight games.[29][30]
Tatís finished in fourth place for theNational League MVP Award in 2020, behindFreddie Freeman,Mookie Betts, and his teammateManny Machado.[31]
Before the 2021 season, Tatís signed a 14-year, $340 million contract extension with the Padres, at the time the third-richest in MLB history, behind deals signed byMike Trout andMookie Betts, and the richest signed by a player not yet eligible for salary arbitration.[32] Part of Tatís's future earnings will be given to Big League Advance as part of an agreement Tatís made while in the minor leagues in order to receive early money that he used to "afford a personal trainer, higher quality food, and better housing".[33]
On April 5, Tatís sustained a left shouldersubluxation while swinging at a pitch during a game against the San Francisco Giants.[34] He was subsequently placed on the 10-day injured list, but avoided serious injury and returned to the Padres lineup on April 16.[35]
On April 23, exactly 22 years after his father hit two grand slams in one inning, Tatís hit two home runs off ofClayton Kershaw, and he also hit two more home runs in another game off ofTrevor Bauer. All four home runs took placeat the same venue where Tatís's father made history as well. The Padres won 6–1.[36]
On May 12, players from the San Diego Padres, including Tatís andWil Myers, tested positive forCOVID-19; Tatís was placed on the injured list due to COVID-19.[37] On May 19, the Padres activated Tatís from the COVID-19 IL.[38]
On June 2, Tatís was named theNational League Player of the Month for May, batting .353/.440/.824 with nine home runs, eight stolen bases, 26 RBIs, and 21 runs scored in 20 games.[39] On June 25, Tatís had his first three-homer game in his career against theArizona Diamondbacks to give the Padres an 11–5 win.[40]
On July 1, Tatís was selected to start his first All-Star Game, becoming the first All-Star starter from the Padres sinceTony Gwynn.[41] In a July 6, 2021, game, Tatís received media attention for an unusually high catch, which appeared to resemble adouble jump typically seen in video games.[42][43] On July 24, Tatís hit his 30th home run of the season, becoming the fourth Padres player to have hit 30 home runs and stolen 20 bases in a season, afterSteve Finley,Wil Myers, andRyan Klesko. He accomplished this feat over 82 games, the lowest for any player age 22 or younger.[44]
Tatís suffered a second left shouldersubluxation while playing against theColorado Rockies on July 30 and was placed on the 10-day IL.[45] During his stint on the IL, Tatís trained with Padres first base coachWayne Kirby to transition into an outfielder.[46] He was activated from the IL on August 15 and playedright field in his first game back from injury.[47]
Tatís finished the 2021 season hitting .282/.364/.611 with 97 RBIs, 25 stolen bases, and an NL-leading 42 home runs.[48][49] He also led the majors in at-bats per home run (11.4), and the highest percentage of hard-hit balls (48%).[50] He won his second consecutiveSilver Slugger Award[51] and finished third inNL MVP voting behindBryce Harper andJuan Soto.[52]
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On March 16, 2022, Tatís underwent surgery due to a fracturedscaphoid bone suffered during the offseason. He was expected to return within three months.[53] Although the cause of the injury was not confirmed, general managerA. J. Preller alluded to amotorcycle accident that Tatís suffered in December 2021 in the Dominican Republic. When a reporter asked when his motorcycle accident occurred, Tatís replied "Which one?," suggesting that he had been involved in multiple such accidents in the 2021–22 offseason.[54]
On August 12, 2022, Tatís was suspended for 80 games after testing positive forClostebol, ananabolic steroid. He stated this was from a medication he took to treatringworm that he did not check for steroids, which drew skepticism.[55][56][57] On August 27, 2022, Adidas announced that they would be dropping Tatís from his sponsorship with the athletic company, citing, "We believe that sport should be fair," Adidas said in a statement via ESPN. "We have a clear policy on doping and can confirm that our partnership with Fernando Tatis Jr. will not continue."[58]
As a result of punishment stemming from his failed drug test in 2022, Tatís missed the first 20 games of the 2023 season.[59]
While playing for the Padres' Triple-A affiliateEl Paso Chihuahuas, Tatís recorded 17 hits and 15 RBIs in 33 at bats, including a three-home run, eight-RBI game on April 13, 2023.[60][61] With the Padres signing free agent shortstopXander Bogaerts, Tatis was moved to right field,[62] where he won aGold Glove after leading all NL defenders with 27defensive runs saved. His 12assists were the second most among NL outfielders, trailing onlyLane Thomas.[63] He was also voted by fans as the winner of thePlatinum Glove Award.[64] In the 2023 season, Tatísslashed .257/.322/.449 with 25 home runs and 78 runs batted in in 141 major league games.[65]
Tatis began the year with San Diego, playing in 80 games and slashing .279/.354/.468 with 14 home runs and 36 RBI. On June 24, 2024, he was placed on the injured list with a femoral stress reaction in his rightquadricep.[66] Tatis was transferred to the 60–day injured list on August 21.[67] He was activated on September 2.[68] He finished with the season playing 102 games and slashing .276/.340/.492 with 21 home runs and 49 RBI.[69]
On October 6, inGame 2 of the National League Division Series against theLos Angeles Dodgers, Tatís hit two home runs in a single game. His first home run of the game puts the Padres on the board 1–0 in the top of the first, and his second home run of the game in the top of the ninth extended the Padres lead to 10–1 that set the Padres' franchise postseason record of 6 home runs in a single postseason game.[70]
On May 3, 2025 against thePittsburgh Pirates, Tatis stole his 100th career base when he stole third base in the top of the ninth inning.[71] On May 5, Tatis wasejected for the first time in his career after arguing with home plate umpireAdrian Johnson over a strike call.[72] On May 13, Tatis hit his first careerwalk-off home run when he hit a two-run homer off Angels closerKenley Jansen and gave the Padres a 6–4 victory over theLos Angeles Angels.[73] He finished with the season playing 155 games and slashing .268/.368/.446 with 25 home runs and 71 RBI[74]
Tatís, a 6 ft 3 in, 217 lb (1.90 m, 98 kg) outfielder and shortstop, has been described as a five-tool player by MLB.com due to his skills in hitting, hitting for power, fielding, throwing, and running.[75][76] In his 2021 season, Tatís hit 42 home runs, the most in the National League that year. He is only the fifth Padres player to hit 40+ home runs in a single season.[77] His .282 batting average in 2021 was the highest among leaderboard-qualified Padres batters. Tatís posted an average sprint speed of 29.3 feet per second through his first three seasons and placed in the 98thpercentile of all MLB baserunners in 2020.[78]
In 2019, Tatís committed 18errors, the fifth-most in MLB that season. Although he committed only three errors in the shortened 2020 season and raised hisfielding percentage 40 points to .984, he committed 21 errors in 2021, the third-most in the league that year.[1] Critics have alleged that Tatís'shighlight-reel defensive plays distract from his inconsistency on easy plays.[79] Although he was described as a subpar defender at shortstop, he has been touted for his defense since he moved to right field in 2023.[80]
Tatís has been credited as one of the most exciting star players in baseball.ESPN ranked him as the most entertaining MLB player in 2020.[81]
Tatís's father played third base in the major leagues from 1997 to 2010.[82] His mother is named Maria.[83][84] His younger brother, Elijah, was an infielder in theChicago White Sox organization; he signed in 2019.[8] Tatís is the cover athlete ofMLB The Show 21, and at age 22, the youngest player to be featured as the cover star.[85]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | National League Player of the Month August 2020 May 2021 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
