San Diego Padres: Fernando Tatis, Jr Is Heating Up In San Antonio

After a slow start to the season, San Diego Padres prized prospect Fernando Tatis, Jr is taking no prisoners down in the Texas League.

The San Antonio Missions finished the month of April by losing to the Midland Rockhounds by a score of 4-3. Their starting shortstop, Fernando Tatis, Jr, went 0-4 at the plate with two strikeouts, dropping his batting average to .177. The top prospect of the San Diego Padres closed the door on April and hasn’t looked back since.

Tatis finished April with a slash line of .177/.231/.333/.564 with three home runs, four doubles, and a 34/6 K/BB ratio. Now halfway through May, Tatis is slashing .333/.441/.719/1.160 in 14 games.

In 40 fewer at-bats than he had in all of April, Tatis has hit five doubles and five home runs. He’s had two multi-home run performances. More impressively, Taits has drawn nine walks in 70 plate appearances this month.

Since moving to the leadoff spot in the batting order, Tatis has an on-base percentage of .413 with

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an OPS of 1.041.

In a recent interview with MiLB.com’s Nathan Brown, Tatis had this to say about his turnaround at the plate,

“Last month, I was just trying to do way too much at the plate,” he said. “Everything was getting into my head, like ‘I’ve got to do this and I’ve got to do that.’ I talked to my coaches and I realized that anytime I do good in baseball, it’s when I just let it go. I just need to let things happen, and it’s only a matter of time until things get better.”

He’s letting it go alright. Tatis has shown a vast improvement in being patient at the plate and sitting on breaking pitches.

You weren’t worried about his slow start, were you? The 19-year-old needed only one month to settle in and begin terrorizing Texas League pitchers. Just take a second to admire the pure beauty that is Fernando Tatis, Jr’s swing.

Last season, with the Fort Wayne TinCaps, Tatis started off almost as slow as this season. He hit

just .230 with two home runs and 29 strikeouts in 87 at-bats. Tatis would go on to hit .295 in May, .244 in June, .295 in July, and .370 in August before being promoted to San Antonio for the last few weeks of the season.

He’s a teenager playing in arguably one of the toughest leagues in minor league baseball. It’s May. Tatis, Jr. said it best, himself.

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Will Tatis, Jr. make his major league debut this September? There seems to be very little doubt about that, especially if he continues to see the ball as well as he is. As for now, enjoy the show down in San Antonio, it’s worth the price of admission.