Tony Gwynn Jr. calls out the obvious flaw in Padres fans’ Tatis panic

Tony Gwynn Jr. said the part Padres fans probably needed to hear. And some probably didn’t like it. Fernando Tatis Jr. hasn’t been good. Through 49 games, Tatis is hitting .240 with zero home runs, 15 RBI and a .594 OPS. This is far from a slow week. We’re only a week from June, and every attempt from fans trying to will a homer into fruition on social, community manifesting, or downright voodoo magic, doesn’t seem to be working. 

There’s nightly group therapy on Padres Twitter every time Tatis rolls over on another ground ball. Luckily, Gwynn stepped in during a clip from 97.3 The Fan’s Epic Padres Roundtable. The conversation was about Tatis’ early-season struggles, and Gwynn pushed back on the idea that this version of Tatis could still be sitting here unchanged in August.

“I think it’s crazy you even have that thought in your mind,” Gwynn said, essentially laughing off the idea that this is simply who Tatis is now. Which leaves Padres fans with the real question: has panic started pretending to be analysis?

Padres fans can be frustrated with Fernando Tatis Jr. without burying the season

Padres fans are not being irrational just here. We are talking about the face of the franchise, a $300 million-plus superstar, and one of the few players in baseball whose best version can change the Padres standing in their division.

As Mike Tomlin would say, “the standard is the standard.” For Tatis, the standard is different. When he’s sitting on zero home runs, fans have every right to ask what is going on. When he’s looking frustrated enough to admit that he doesn’t know what’s happening, fans are going to hear that and panic a little.

But Gwynn’s point is not that everything is fine. His point is that we are talking about Fernando Tatis Jr. There’s still too much bat speed, hard contact, and athleticism. Too much physical ability to look at this version confidently say that this trend is going to continue through a full 162.

Gwynn’s comment lands even if fans do not want to hear it from someone they might already view as too protective of players. But he isn’t wrong to call out the flaw in the panic. 

Still, the Padres cannot let fan frustration become the only lens here. At this point, they need fixes, more than patience. Waiting around is better to edge closer to blind optimism. And at the same time, fans also need to be honest about what they’re actually watching.

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