In the midst of the sunshine, smiles, and good baseball in America’s finest city, Fernando Tatis Jr, and more notably his untimely and immature decisions, have moved from the limelight to the background this Fall.
It is impossible to ignore the electricity that is embedded in the sensational play of Tatis, but it is just as impossible to turn a blind eye to the miscues off the field that have plagued Tatis as well. It is important to note that Tatis is only 23 years old, but at some point, with this much stature, celebrity, and expectation, there has to be an uptick in maturity. In the past year, Tatis has been involved in multiple motorcycle accidents, per reports, along with the highly publicized positive test for PED’s in early August. The incidents themselves are loud enough to enunciate the habits and choices of the young phenom, but the details behind them only add to the disappointment.
The public actually only knew about the one motorcycle accident during the offseason/lockout prior to the 2022 season, and it was treated vaguely, as reports circled that the accident was minor and injuries sustained by Tatis Jr were not significant. However, when the lockout ended, Tatis met with the Padres and realized he would need to surgically repair his wrist, the same one that he reported as “something he could work through” and “just some bruises”. Also, when the superstar was questioned about the incident and when it happened, Tatis’ initial response was “which one“. Not a great look.
The motorcycle debacle, which did indeed result in a surgery on the wrist of Tatis, led to Tatis missing all games through July, as he was slated to come back in the middle of August prior to the suspension. However, even that was a serious point of concern for the Padres. AJ Preller said at the beginning of Spring Training following Tatis’ procedure on March 16th that the recovery was “up to three months”, indicating a return to the team sometime in June. By the end of July, Tatis had yet to even start a rehab assignment. Even with the indication that the injury could be slow-healing, Tatis’ timeline did not seem to align with what doctors and team personnel had predicted.
This leads into the current circumstance, the one where Tatis Jr watches from home as his teammates celebrate postseason baseball. The young star tested positive for Clostebol, a banned substance, on August 12th, and ended his season before it ever even started. The test itself was enough to spread discouragement and disappointment across the league, and the reaction to the news was certainly not miniscule. Whether it was media personalities, former players, current players or even current teammates of Tatis, there was plenty of criticism and fatigue shown with the decisions and repercussions of the choices made by “El Niño”.
It didn’t really stop there, though, as Tatis Jr tried to cover his mistakes with an excuse similar to a child caught with a hand in the cookie jar. He stated that he had ringworm and Clostebol was used in the medication to treat the skin issue. Whether that is believable or not is beside the point, as the real issue is that Tatis didn’t take the time or put in the necessary effort to care for himself, his teammates, or his organization enough to check what he was putting in his body.
The issues with Tatis have not been subtle, and, again, he is only 23 years old. I’m sure that there are WAY more people his age, including myself, who are doing stupider things than riding a motorcycle too fast or trying to get jacked. But, where there is great responsibility to be held, great responsibility must be shown. Tatis has not held up his end of the bargain to the Padres, MLB or its fans.
The positive test confirmed a lost season for the Padres’ star, but it also shed a dark light on more than just San Diego. Tatis has been paraded by MLB, the media, and fans for the least few years, including being the cover athlete for the league’s video game, MLB The Show (2021).
He was also one of the faces of the “Let the Kids Play” campaign run by Major League Baseball, the ad series aimed at showing the joys and energy that baseball has in order to grow the sport. It isn’t a good look when the headliner focused on showcasing the fun of playing baseball won’t play again until near May of 2023, a span of 575 days. Tatis is also one of the four featured players in the advertisement for MLB’s partnership with Dairy Queen.
The inability for Tatis to hem the off the field issues and get back to the field is hurting more parties than just himself. Other than the $3 million he will lose this year, he is potentially costing the Padres their best chance at a World Series in the history of the franchise.
There is simply no question about it: When Fernando Tatis Jr is on the field, he is one of the best players in the sport. Whether he is playing shortstop or gets moved somewhere else, his eccentric style of play mixed with his otherworldly baseball skills makes him a talent to be reckoned with. In the 130 games played last year, Tatis Jr posted a 7.3 WAR (led MLB), 157 wRC+ (4th in MLB), 42 HR (5th in MLB), and a base running value, BsR, of 9.3 (2nd in MLB). The value and attention he brings to the sport are immeasurable, and it is exactly why his lack of presence brings forth so much frustration. There is no single player that encompasses, on the field at least, exactly what Major League Baseball is looking to become more than Fernando Tatis Jr.
So, where does this leave the Padres? MLB? Fans? It truly is a puzzling question. If you are the Padres, how can you move on from arguably the most talented player in the history of the franchise? Yet, can you trust him to live up to the massive 14 year, $340 million contract? Is there more value in living and dying with the bouts of immaturity in the hope it balances out and Tatis becomes exactly what was promised in the terms of the deal? Or, is it worth more to ship him to an organization looking to make a splash and accruing as much talent as possible in return for the superstar?
What about Major League Baseball? Is it time to send in representatives, including some legendary special assistants, to talk to Tatis and lead him in the right direction before he potentially goes astray and completely diminishes a campaign based on his talent and popularity? Or, is it too risky to drive away the phenom who, if he comes back next year with his own rejuvenated mindset, could unleash a level of play the sport has never seen?
What are the fans supposed to do? Do you root for the kid because, well, he’s only 23 and all kids make mistakes? Do you continue to buy his jerseys, praise his talent, and hope that the shooting star we all witnessed returns to his exponential trajectory? Do we disregard the talent in favor of morals and look in the other direction as he returns to the field, unable to forget the lies and immaturity displayed?
Some of these may be far-fetched, I understand that. Some of these may be unfair, and I don’t disagree. In the society we live in, though, stars are the talking points. They dictate trends and influence our methods. Kids around the world saw Tatis’ batflip against the Cardinals in the 2020 Wild Card Round, and if they were like me as a little one, they were in the backyard mimicking it the next morning. I have no doubt that Tatis Jr could return in late April/early May of 2023 and take the league by storm, once again. But, for someone who was quoted as saying “Every time I go to the park and the game’s about to start, I tell myself: ‘It’s time to make history,'” it seems as if he’s more interested in making history long before he reaches the field.
