Fernando Tatis Jr. Wants to Play Right Field Next Season for Padres
After his first professional season as a right fielder — a season that ended with Gold Glove and Platinum Glove awards — Fernando Tatis Jr. seems to have found a home in the outfield. And he doesn't appear to be moving away from the position anytime soon.
According to Kevin Acee of The San Diego Tribune, Tatis stated that there have been conversations in the past between him and Padres general manager A.J. Preller on the possibility of him moving to center field. However, Tatis said that he's found a new home in the corner.
“I’m a right fielder,” Tatis said. “We have talked about it. A.J. gave me permission to play a little bit (of) center, a little bit (of) right. Let’s see how I’m focused later. But right now I’m a right fielder. And I’ve talked to A.J. also about the dimensions of our field, and I feel for me it’s a little bit more important to have a right fielder than a center fielder for Petco Park.”
Per Kevin Acee of The San Diego Tribune
In his first season in right field, Tatis had an incredible 29 defensive runs saved above average with 12 outfield assists.
For the majority of his career, Tatis primarily played shortstop and was always admired for his arm strength. In free agency last year, the Padres made a splash by signing former Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, which led to Tatis moving across the outfield.
According to Baseball Savant, Tatis's arm strength was among the league's best last year, averaging 96.6 mph per throw from right field.
More recently, Tatis has been playing center field in the Dominican Winter League, prompting some speculation that he could be there again when the MLB regular season begins.
However, the Padres' replacement for Trent Grisham will not be their Gold Glove right fielder. Tatis made that transition with ease, and should be manning that spot for the foreseeable future at Petco Park.
