Fernando Tatis Jr. Didn't Want to Admit His Pick for Best Player in MLB

The Padres star was asked to name the best player in baseball during a media appearance in Atlanta.

Fernando Tatis Jr. smiles in the dugout before a playoff game against the Dodgers in 2024. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Fernando Tatis Jr. thinks it’s obvious who the best player in Major League Baseball is, but that doesn’t mean he wants to admit it.

During his media availability at the MLB All-Star Game, Tatis was asked who he thought the league’s best player was. He had an answer but didn’t want to say the name.

“I feel like that’s a really obvious question,” the San Diego Padres right fielder said with a laugh. “But he’s my rival, I’m not gonna mention his name. You know it already, 17 for the blue team.”

Fernando Tatis Jr. was asked during his media session who the best player in the league is right now.

His answer (with a laugh):

"I feel like that's a really obvious question. But he's my rival, I'm not gonna mention his name. You know it already. 17 for the blue team."

— Darnay Tripp (@DarnayTripp) July 15, 2025

Tatis is obviously referring to Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, who has won three MVP awards. It’s pretty funny that the Padres-Dodgers rivalry has gotten so heated that one All-Star has to begrudgingly admit another is the best player in baseball.

So far this season, Ohtani is slashing .276/.382/.605, with a National League-best 32 home runs and 60 RBIs. It’s actually shocking to see his OPS below 1.000. He’s currently fifth in MLB with 4.7 fWAR, and his wRC+ (168) ranks fourth.

Obviously Tatis was joking around, but there are only two possible answers to that question. New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge has a legitimate claim to that title this season, but it’ll be tough for anyone to beat Ohtani in that contest. Especially now that he’s back pitching.

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