563 days.
It’s time San Diego Padres Fernando Tatis Jr. left the major leagues. ‘Prodigal’ Tatis, who has been absent for over a year, returns tomorrow. The opponent is the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Tatis became a star representing the league in the first three years of his debut. He was reborn as one of the best players by winning 3rd place in the 2019 rookie of the year, 4th place in the 2020 MVP, and 3rd place in the league home run king and MVP in 2021. Encouraged by Tatis’ talent, San Diego presented a 14-year, $340 million super-large contract in February 2021. It was an unprecedented contract for a player who had just met two years of service time.
San Diego envisioned a rosy future with Tatis. Tatis was believed to lead the team to its golden age as well as its first World Series victory. However, Tatis’ early success and San Diego’s hasty contract became poison. Narcissistic Tatis has failed at self-management.
In December 2021, Tatis injured his left wrist in a motorcycle accident. The first known injury was an abrasion. At the time, the Major League Baseball lockout prevented contact between clubs and players. It was difficult to know the specific condition. When the lockout was lifted in mid-March, Tatis’ wrist injury was revealed to be a fracture. Eventually, Tatis was on the operating table ahead of the season opener.
In San Diego, which was in an emergency due to Tatis’ departure, Kim Ha-seong took over as the starting shortstop. Other players also joined forces to minimize Tatis’ gap. In the meantime, San Diego built its best team by bringing in Juan Soto, Josh Bell, and Josh Hader. In a situation where only Tatis had to return, news like thunder from the blue sky was delivered. It was Tatis’ drug discovery. Tatis missed the entire 2022 season while serving an 80-game suspension.
San Diego was quick to face reality. He recommended surgery on his left shoulder, which caused frequent trouble at this time. Tatis accepted the club’s offer. He also underwent surgery to correct his injured wrist once more. He left scars on everyone, but he had time to recover.
Coincidentally, San Diego cruised without Tatis. Manny Machado encouraged everyone with the message, “We’ve been fighting well without him so far.” The players did their best to prove that the team was not dependent on Tatis alone. As a result, San Diego advanced to the postseason, and in the postseason also defeated the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers to advance to the National League Championship Series. Although the World Series was thwarted, San Diego’s 2022 season looked like a stepping stone to go higher.
I didn’t miss Tatis. However, he could not turn away from Tatis. In San Diego, Tatis has to carry Miuna Gouna until 2034. From 2025, the annual salary will also rise to 20 million dollars, so active is important. For reference, Tatis has the right to refuse to trade with all clubs until 2028, and after that, he can designate 13 non-tradeable teams during the remaining contract period.
Tatis, who was reunited with his teammates at this year’s spring camp, felt a bit awkward playing a real game after a long time. But the awkwardness didn’t last long. As he gradually adapted, he continued his characteristic cheerful play. Cheering and booing came and went as he did not change.
Tatis has been unavailable for the first 20 games of the season. So I went to the Triple A match. Tatis, who was 3 hits in 13 at-bats (0.231) in the first four games, exploded with 14 hits in 20 at-bats (.700), 6 homers and 13 RBIs in the following four games. In the process, he also featured a 3 home run and 8 RBI game. Catcher Brett Sullivan was amazed, saying “I’ve never seen anything like this” (Sullivan made his major league debut yesterday). 메이저놀이터
Tatis had an average exit velocity of 94.9 mph in Triple-A. The proportion of batted balls over 95 miles also reached 61.5%. In Triple A, Tatis was Gulliver of the country of little people. San Diego, which judged that he had improved his physical condition, instructed Tatis to accompany the major league team.
While Tatis devastated Triple A, San Diego’s batting line slumped sharply. After the 10-2 win over Atlanta on April 10, hitters’ hitting feel has declined along with it. As for the record, the last 10 matches were only 3 wins and 7 losses, and the 50% win rate collapsed (9 wins and 11 losses). Today, they managed to escape their 3-game losing streak, but the only score scored by the batters was Soto’s home run. Three of the 10 games were scoreless, 8 games were 3 points or less, and the average score in this span was only 2.3 points.
Tatis joins San Diego in the midst of a sudden crisis. Tatis is the right person to solve San Diego’s current problems. The real owner of the right field spot that Jose Ajoca and Rugned Odore used to block. Tatis is a leadoff that will raise the level of San Diego’s running game with quick feet, and Tatis is a hitter who can blow a shot even in scoring range. Considering the power alone, the joining of Tatis is a thousand troops.