San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. is a one-man highlight machine, even running the bases during a routine pop fly during spring training.
By now, the whole baseball world knows what a talent Fernando Tatis Jr. is. The guy just makes plays. All the time. Even when you least expect them.
Somehow, the San Diego Padres shortstop even found a way to make a pop fly a highlight.
While San Diego took on the Diamondbacks, Tatis turned a shallow fly ball into a sacrifice thanks to his impressive baserunning.
Yes, that’s Tatis tagging and scoring on a play he had no right to find home plate. It was bold to run. It was impressive for it all to pay off.
In the long run, Tatis’ run didn’t give the Padres the win. He tied the game in the first inning, but Arizona hit homers in the sixth and ninth to pull away for a 6-3 victory.
Fernando Tatis Jr. is a must-watch star for the Padres
If there’s any reason to tune into a Padres spring training game, it’s to get a glimpse of what Tatis might do next.
The 22-year-old is entering his third season in the MLB with expectations as one of the sport’s most exciting young stars.
So far in spring training, he has had nine at-bats with four hits, three runs, four RBI and a home run.
Those preseason numbers are just a taste of what Fernando Tatis Jr. has managed in real competition. Last year, he came fourth in NL MVP voting with 17 home runs, 25 RBI and 11 stolen bases. He averaged .277 with an on-base percentage of .366, a slugging percentage of .571 and an OPS of .937. He received his first Silver Slugger Award with that output.
There’s a reason San Diego locked him in with a huge new contract this year.