Fernando Tatis Jr Calls Padres Teammate One of the Best Hitters He's Ever Seen

How far can San Diego go this season?

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Luis Arraez is one of the best hitters in baseball. Wait, he is the best hitter in baseball. 

All he does is collect hits and his teammates are left in awe of his skill every time. He has 20 hits in his last nine games including back-to-back four-hit performances.

“He’s one of the best hitters I’ve ever seen play in the game of baseball,” Fernando Tatis Jr. told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune on Thursday.

Within the clubhouse, the Padres refer to their new lead-off man as a “magician” or a “wizard” but manager Mike Shildt used a new descriptive word for him.

“He’s a genius, man,” Shildt said. “You just can see he’s got this great talent that’s coupled with high baseball IQ with great focus, and then a great approach and then great physical hand-eye talent. It’s just like a perfect blend of a guy that knows what he’s doing with the bat in his hand.”

The 2023 National League batting champion (with the Miami Marlins) and 2022 American League batting champion (with the Minnesota Twins) are a nightmare for opposing pitchers. He can hit singles and doubles, mix in a home run, or bunt for a hit. It doesn’t matter where the ball is pitched because he can dissect a defense and place it perfectly in a hole.

“I just work hard, and I just come in here and play hard every day,” he said. “I enjoy this game. This game is hard. We have to enjoy the game. I try to do my little things and hit the ball every time like I do. If I hit the ball like that, we will score a lot of runs.”