Padres News: Teammates Talk Instant Effects of Fernando Tatis Jr's Return
The MLB world was taking a close look at the San Diego Padres this past weekend as they finally welcomed back a young star in Fernando Tatis Jr. He is someone that has had to block out a tremendous amount of noise this past year and a half that he has not been able to play baseball.
Once coined the future of the league, a mix of questionable injuries along with a PED suspension led to him becoming public enemy no. 1. However, he stayed solid and when he finally was given a platform to preview his talent to fans in Spring Training and AAA, we saw the El Niño we remembered from 2021.
How Has Tatis Jr. Looked So Far?
Tatis has only suited up in four games thus far for the Friars and his numbers haven't been anything insane but nobody was expecting that. He has three hits and two runs in 19 plate appearances along with a home run. He's already had some highs and lows in the outfield as he adjusts to the new position.
But his impact is already proving to be greater than just some statistics tallied up at the end of a match. He already knows what it's like to perform with every expectation on him and he brings a level of focus and energy to the Padres that has been needed since day one.
What Do Fellow Padres Teammates Think?
Yu Darvish pinpointed exactly how he believes the Friars have been better since Tatis made his debut.
“He’s one of those mood makers that goes out and has fun so that kind of lifts us up,” said Darvish with the help of his translator. “And I think the opposing pitchers obviously don’t enjoy facing him too much. So it’s great to have him back.”
(Via The Athletic)
Matt Carpenter is also someone who has been in the league for quite some time and has seen a ton of players in situations similar to Tatis.
However, he loves how he's handled everything so far and highlighted especially how much the crowd loves their young star.
“You could hear it and feel it, the energy he brings for the fans,” said Carpenter. “He’s a fun player to watch, and I think that — I know that we’re going to see a lot of great things from him this year.”
(Via The Athletic)
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