Padres DH Fernando Tatis Jr. (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)
The Slam Diego Padres are back, with slugger Fernando Tatis, Jr. hitting an absolute no-doubter against the New York Mets at Citi Field.
The moonshot was Tatis’ sixth home run of 440-plus feet so far this season, by far the most in baseball. Despite dealing with a potentially-devastating shoulder injury early in the campaign, Tatis is on pace to lead the majors is several key offensive categories from the shortstop position.
No wonder the Padres gave this kid a 14-year extension. My goodness.
The home run was Tatis, Jr.’s 19th of the season, and gave the Padres a four-run lead. And you can bet he pimped the hell out of it.
San Diego Padres: Fernando Tatis, Jr. is the face of baseball now
Tatis, Jr. signed a 14-year, $340 million extension before the start of the season, despite not yet playing a full 162 games of professional baseball.
Tatis, who originally signed with the White Sox, but was traded to San Diego in the James Shields trade, is just 22 years of age. He doesn’t mind trolling, or getting trolled for that matter. It’s the key to developing and expanding the game of baseball as a whole in an era when it’s struggling for popularity among young people.
He’s the best chance for MLB to grow, and he knows it.