Padres Insider Thinks Fernando Tatis Can Win NL MVP in 2025

Fernando Tatis Jr. is arguably the best player on a team that is on fire and leading the stacked NL West through 19 games, above the powerhouse of the MLB, the Dodgers.

His position as the leader of the team along with the Padres performing well in 2025, could very well be a recipe to take home the NL MVP.

MLB.com's AJ Cassavell has outlined the pathway for Tatis to capture the award.

New Nando media!
📸 via Fernando’s IG pic.twitter.com/RuEUXj9zfY
— TatisMuse (@TatisMuse) April 18, 2025

"It's not the home runs. We knew those were coming. It's not the steals or the elite defense. If Tatis was healthy, that was coming, too," Cassavell wrote.

"It's the strides Tatis has seemingly made in his plate discipline. His whiff rate is down. His strikeout rate is down. His walk rate is up. Tatis is forcing pitchers into the strike zone so far this season.

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"If he continues doing that, he’ll continue seeing results like these: Through 17 games, Tatis had tied the Major League lead with six home runs, while hitting .354 with a 1.073 OPS. Combine that with the elite defense and baserunning, and that’s an MVP pace."

A healthy Tatis is always going to be a contender for the MVP; however, if his plate discipline holds up for the rest of the year, this could be a truly special season if he can see the ball well.

The main issue for Tatis's MVP chances is the fact that he is in the same division and league as Shohei Ohtani, who will be the favorite every year that he is healthy, especially when he could potentially add pitching to his overall value.

If Fernando Tatis Jr. strikes out this infrequently (12% of PA through 17 games), he becomes Shohei’s biggest MVP challenger. pic.twitter.com/fY2a8oe92l
— Paul Hembekides (Hembo) (@PaulHembo) April 16, 2025

Ohtani is set to pitch in the second half of the season, which could allow him to win the award if he performs with the same stuff he had when he last stepped on the mound.

Tatis will likely be in the race if healthy, and if Ohtani were to miss some games this year as the Dodgers look forward to October, Tatis could bag an MVP.

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