2 Padres Stars Place Top 10 In Latest MLB Outfielder Rankings
Juan Soto just arrived in San Diego last season and the team is already significantly different than when he first joined. Xander Bogaerts now joins him as the Friars' primary shortstop and he will have a new running mate in the outfield with him when Fernando Tatis Jr. returns in April.
Even though Tatis is looking comfortable again in Spring Training games with San Diego, he has not played an official match for the franchise since October of 2021. He has already faced a number of obstacles as he attempts to return to superstar form and he is bound to come across more as he adjusts to playing right field.
However, it seems that MLB experts are not too worried about him possibly struggling and still believe he'll dominate no matter where he is at. In Bleacher Report's latest 2023 outfielder rankings, Tatis came in at number 8 with Soto placing at number 4. Joel Reuter has very high praise for them.
"The San Diego Padres' addition of Xander Bogaerts in free agency means Fernando Tatis Jr. will be a full-time outfielder once he returns from serving the final 20 games of his PED suspension. While he is playing in spring training games, he will still have some rust to shake off when he settles back into the grind of an MLB season. Coupled with the fact that he'll miss most of the first month, that makes it tough to move him any higher in these rankings."
(Via Bleacher Report)
It speaks volumes that Juan Soto posted a with 25 doubles, 27 home runs and 5.6 WAR last season with the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres, and it was widely regarded as a disappointing season.The casual fan looks at his .242 batting average and considers it a down year, but he was once again one of the game's elite on-base threats with 135 walks and a .401 on-base percentage, more than offsetting his dip in average.
(Via Bleacher Report)
I do believe that both of these guys will be able to learn from one another and benefit from sharing the outfield. Soto has been one of the best players at that position for some time and Tatis carries all of the athletic attributes that are needed to succeed there.
Before his injuries and suspension happened, El Nino's resume spoke for itself. It'll be fun to see how he performs in the outfield and how he dominates the plate along with the rest of his stars.
