Fernando Tatis Jr could join Bonds and Betts in one of baseball’s rarest feats

San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. has gone through some tough stretches at the plate in 2025, but his star is shining brighter this season than most people realize. Tatis is the sort of five-tool supernova that can impact the game even when his bat is cold, placing him in rare company when you consider not only present-day Major League Baseball but the history of the game.

Tatis’s slumping issues this year are not a mystery to any Padres fan. Due to such a rollercoaster season in the batter’s box, Tatis’s OPS (.800) is far below his career average (.866), and his batting average (.262) and slugging percentage (.433) also fall short of standards for the three-time All-Star.

Tatis does have 20 home runs, though, which contributes to his candidacy for an elusive club in MLB history.

Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr is on the verge of joining all-time great company

Tatis has 27 stolen bases on the season to go along with his 20 homers. The Gold Glove candidate has also tallied 17 defensive runs saved, which means that he’s just three DRS away from joining a rare 20-20-20 club: 20 home runs, 20 stolen bases, and 20 defensive runs saved.

It’s a feat that only three players have accomplished before, and the names of those players aren’t lacking in star power: Barry Bonds, Andruw Jones, and Mookie Betts.

Tatis approaching this club is a glaring reminder to Padres fans of his special talent. Even amid a “down year”, Tatis is finding ways to separate himself from his contemporaries. 

Speaking of contemporaries, Tatis’s fellow National League All-Star outfielder, Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs, is only two DRS away from the same club described above. The NL obviously has a pair of ridiculously talented young outfielders in Tatis and Crow-Armstrong, and the two studs might also end up next to one another in the running for a Platinum Glove (Tatis already bagged one in 2023).

All in all, Tatis has had a much better year than he’s been given credit for. Moving into the final stretch of the season, San Diego will need Tatis to continue performing as it looks to lock in favorable playoff seeding and go on a big postseason run.

The Padres might just be emerging from what has been a terrible stretch of baseball recently. After losing nine of 11 (including five in a row), San Diego bounced back with consecutive victories against the Colorado Rockies to close the weekend, taking a series win at Coors Field.

The Padres entered Monday within just one game of the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, who have been suffering from their own struggles of late. San Diego was set to begin a three-game set on Monday against the visiting Cincinnati Reds, with Yu Darvish on the mound looking to continue regaining his form.

More San Diego Padres News and Rumors