What Fernando Tatis Jr. Needs to Fix to Return to Fantasy Baseball Stardom in 2026
Fernando Tatis Jr. finally delivered a healthy, full-volume season in 2025, but the fantasy community is still waiting for the return of his once-elite power ceiling. While his plate discipline and stolen base output reached new highs, lingering swing-path issues continue to cap his overall fantasy dominance.
OF6 – Fernando Tatis, San Diego Padres (NFBC ADP – 14)
The fantasy market is still waiting for Tatis to regain his 2021 power (42 home runs over 478 at-bats), or was it truly induced by juice? He comes off his best year in playing time (691 plate appearances), leading to career highs in runs (111), hits (159), and stolen bases (32). His RBI rate (14.7%) has been well below his first three seasons (19.2%).
Tatis set career-bests in his strikeout rate (18.7%) and walk rate (12.9%). He finished with a five-year low in his average hit rate (1.667). His exit velocity (93.3) has been above career average in back-to-back seasons. On the downside, Tatis hit more groundballs (48.9%) tied to his three-year slide in his launch angle (9.4) and career lows in his barrel rate (10.9%) and HR/FB rate (15.8%). His hard-hit rate (51.8%) remains in an elite area.
When Fernando Tatis, Jr. hit a ball COMPLETELY out of Dodger Stadium. pic.twitter.com/QotUYsugR4
— Baseball’s Greatest Moments (@BBGreatMoments) February 10, 2026
Lefties held him to a .229 batting average over 153 at-bats with 24 runs, five home runs, 12 RBIs, and eight steals. Tatis also had less power on the road (.264/53/8/30/11 over 311 at-bats). Despite his uptick season, his bat was uninspiring from May through August (.241/68/10/39/20 over 399 at-bats).
Fernando Tatis Jr. 2026 Fantasy Baseball Outlook
Fantasy Outlook: Tatis was the 16th-best hitter last season by FPGscore (5.86). His talent screams a higher ceiling, but he has underperformed expectations multiple times over his six seasons in the majors. Tatis must fix his swing path problem while maintaining his improved approach to develop into the stud we once thought he would be. Investing in him seems more based on faith than on his success. With a healthy season, his floor should be a 25/30 year, with favorable outcomes in runs, RBIs, and batting average.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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