MLB writers echo what Padres fans always believed about Fernando Tatis Jr.

If you only catch the highlight shows, you might think Fernando Tatis Jr. is “down” whenever he isn’t launching baseballs into the Western Metal Supply Co. facade. Padres fans know better. Night after night, Tatis dictates games in all the little places most box scores can’t reach — cutting off would-be doubles with a burst of speed, turning singles into outs with a one-hop laser to third, and stealing back extra-base hits with those perfectly timed climbs over the right-field wall. The bat is what made him a star. The glove, and the heartbeat are what make him indispensable.

And that’s the thing national writers are catching up to: Tatis doesn’t need a two-homer night to bend a game toward San Diego. He tilts the field on contact prevention and base pressure. He flips innings with his arm strength, changes scouting reports with his range, and manufactures runs when the lineup needs a spark. Padres fans have watched the evolution in real time. The flashes became habits, the habits became standards, and the standards turned into wins.

MLB’s Gold Glove buzz around Fernando Tatis Jr. matches the eye test

Yes, the offense is still there, even if it hasn’t always been the loudest in 2025. Tatis has quietly posted his third 20-20 season (22 homers, 30 steals), slashing .266/.369/.436 with a 5.9 WAR. That last number tells the fuller story: value everywhere. He’s impacting games even when he’s 0-for-4, because his defense and baserunning travel every single night.

That’s why MLB.com’s Jared Greenspan and Jason Foster placed him among their predicted 2025 Gold Glove winners and spotlighted exactly what Padres diehards have been preaching from the right-field seats: the range is real, the arm is elite, and the results are undeniable. 

“Tatis remains an elite outfielder in terms of both range and arm strength, and, bottom line, he makes plays. Tatis leads all MLB right fielders with 334 putouts, 64 more than the next-highest total. He also leads with 18 DRS, has a right-field-best plus-9 Fielding Run Value and is tied for the lead for double plays turned in right field, with three. He also has a serious homer-robbing habit that causes fits for the opposition.”

Watch how those numbers show up in real innings. Runners hesitate on balls to right because they know the throw might beat them. Pitchers attack the zone more freely because anything in the air that way has a chance to be erased. Managers think twice about pinch-running. Those little calculations add up to fewer 90-feet giveaways, to cleaner frames for the bullpen, to an extra win or three in a tight race.

For Padres fans, this recognition doesn’t feel like a breakout as much as a validation. You’ve seen the route efficiency, the closing speed, the cannon, and the fearless wall timing long enough to call them trademarks. The rest of the country is just putting a trophy prediction next to it now.

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