MLB Prospect Preview: Fernando Tatis Jr.
Photo: Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports
We’re now just two weeks away from the beginning of Major League Baseball and we are still moving along with our MLB prospect previews. We’ve previewed some great players so far, but we still have a few more to look at before the season gets under way. Last week we took a look at Reds’ top prospect Nick Senzel. Today we’re going to take a closer look at Padres’ top prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. The Padres are absolutely loaded in their farm system, with ten of the top 100 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. Out of all that talent, Tatis Jr. is their gem.
Photo: MLB
Fernando Tatis Jr.
SS
San Diego Padres
The second of our “Son of an MLB Player” preview highlights the many talents of Fernando Tatis Jr (we’ve already previewed Bo Bichette). Tatis signed with the Chicago White Sox as a 16-year old in 2015, but was involved in a trade less than a year later that sent him to the Padres. Regarded as the best shortstop prospect in baseball, Tatis is also the #2 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He’s a 5-tool guy that is simply good at everything. He can hit for average and power, run, play defense, and has a plus-arm. Not only Padres fans, but baseball fans from around the league are excited to see what this 20-year old kid will do once he breaks into the major leagues.
In his first full season in 2017, Tatis became the first ever 18-year old to post a 20/20 season (20 HR & 20 SB) in Class-A Midwest League History. He was then promoted to finish the season in Double-A, where he began last year before being limited to only 88 games because of a fractured thumb in July that sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Throughout those 88 games, Tatis was hitting .286 with 16 home runs and 16 stolen bases. It’s pretty safe to say he would’ve posted another 20/20 season, which proves how well-rounded of a player he is.
Most figure we will finally be able to see Tatis in a Padres uniform sometime in May, though if it was up to new-Padre Manny Machado, he would be the starting shortstop on Opening Day. Machado, so adamant about transitioning into shortstop last year, has conceded to going back to third base with the Padres because he recognizes Tatis is the shortstop of the future. Being limited to half a season last year though, the Padres will want to start him out in the minors before they decide to bring him up full-time in San Diego. It’s a tricky situation for the team though because his talent is major league ready right now and Padres fans are more excited entering this season than they’ve been in a long time.
When Tatis does finally land in the majors, scouts expect him to hit for a high average, while also posting above-average home run totals. He’s got a big frame (6’3”, 185 lbs) and great bat speed that allows him to generate a lot of power. And at just 20 years old, he will just get bigger. The knock on him at the plate is the fact that he can be really aggressive, swinging at bad pitches at times, but his approach at the plate will just get better and better with experience. Going back to his size, some think he may someday transition to third base, but his natural athleticism, combined with his quick feet and good range convinces many others that he is a natural shortstop.
It’s an exciting time in baseball when it comes to shortstops because there are so many good young ones either at the show, or knocking on the door. Tatis Jr. is primed to be one of MLB’s next headlining shortstops in the not-so-distant future. The NL West alone should be a lot of fun going forward with shortstops Corey Seager, Trevor Story, and Tatis Jr.
Garett