3 Padres in the thick of awards races (and 1 deserves a big contract extension)

Fernando Tatis Jr. once again finds himself as a top MVP candidate

Ferando Tatis Jr. - simply put - spent the first three years of his MLB career as a superstar. He was flashy, he was the definition of a slugger (highlighted by leage-best 42 home runs in 2021), and was a fantastic shortstop. Outside of Shohei Ohtani (more on him in a second), Tatis Jr. was one of the faces of the MLB and had worldwide appeal to fans.

Then came the PED suspension, followed immediately by injuries, and a position change right after that. Tatis Jr. was still a good ballplayer, but had fallen back in the eyes of fans and analysts both, especially with his long trip on the IL in the middle of last season.

2025 has seen the return of Tatis Jr. He is third in the National League in WAR, only behind Pete Crow-Armstrong and Ohtani. While Ohtani is the likely favorite - especially once he gets back on the mound - Tatis Jr. is very much in the race.

In his career, June is the month that Tatis Jr. typically ascends into one of the best hitters in the MLB. In 93 career games during June, Tatis Jr. has slashed .338/.417/.651, with a tOPS+ of 142. With the Padres on two games behind the Dodgers, a winning streak would go a long way in boosting Tatis Jr.'s chances at MVP.

The Padres need a storybook season, and Tatis has given everything the team needs thus far. And if his career-norms mean a big month of June, we could see the Padres' superstar shoot up not just the the MVP ballots, but also return Tatis Jr. into the hearts of the baseball fans across the globe once again.