Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. clears another historic hurdle in chase of Manny Machado

When the dust settles, many years from now, Padres fans are probably going to debate who is the greatest slugger in franchise history. Tony Gwynn will forever hold the honor of best overall Padres hitter, but when talking about pure power, we have to turn our attention to the two guys playing right now.

On Tuesday night, Fernando Tatis Jr. belted a leadoff home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, giving him his 164th career jack. That home run surpassed Nate Colbert for second-most in Padres history. The only man who stands in front of Tatis Jr. is Manny Machado, who has crushed 217 homers in a Friars uniform, and 392 overall.

So what does this mean for the team? What does it mean for Machado and Tatis Jr.'s relationship? It can only point towards good things.

Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr.'s home run race should have Padres fans invested for next several years

It's always a good thing when current players hold a franchise record. It's even better when the next guy in line is also part of that lineup. It shows that the Padres are doing something right. They're keeping their best talent at home, which should keeps fans invested in the day-to-day.

Now for Machado and Tatis Jr., this should spark some friendly competition — if there wasn't there already. Tatis Jr., 27, has a decent way to go before catching up to his 34-year-old teammate. He didn't help himself out by beginning the year in a home run drought, but launching four home runs in his last seven games suggest that he is back into his regularly scheduled groove.

Though Machado is in his mid 30s, he isn't showing signs of slowing down at the dish. Famous for his smooth right-handed swing, Machado has 23 homers this season, marking his 11th season with 20 or more round-trippers. If he continues this pace for another three or four years, then Tatis Jr. has his work cut out.

But if Tatis Jr. can hit more Padres home runs than Machado, where could that put him all-time among San Diego greats? Already a two-time Platinum Glove winner, if he can retire as the franchise's best power hitter, he would undoubtedly move into Mount Rushmore territory. For now, Machado is a few steps closer to that conversation than Tatis Jr.

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