Padres All-Star earns “best athlete in baseball” tag from MLB insider
Despite all the hype surrounding their bitter rivlas, the Los Angeles Dodgers, to start the season, an argument can be made about the San Diego Padres, having been the hottest team in all of the major leagues so far this season. Currently, the Friars sit top of a fiercely contested NL West with a 16-6 record.
When talking about the team's success, it is due to the outstanding hitters in the lineup and the quality pitching aresenal. However, commitment showed in the field also goes a long way, and the Padres definitely have outstanding athletes on their roster to keep things tight defensively.
On Sunday, insider Russell Dorsey claimed that in Fernando Tatis Jr., the Padres had the 'best athlete in baseball' on their roster, via a post on X (formerly Twitter).
In order to support his argument, Dorsey also shared a clip of an outstanding defensive play from the outfielder, as he slid to catch a ball, while accurately throwing it back to first base in a single, seamless motion.
"Fernando Tatís Jr. is the best athlete in baseball. This play is unreal." Dorsey captioned his post
Along with making superb plays on the field, Fernando Tatis Jr. has been his usual, destructive self at the plate. So far, the Dominican is batting .358, with 8 home runs and 16 RBIs.
Padres GM talks about his long-term vision with the team
After enjoying an outstanding rookie season, young Jackson Merrill was rewarded by his team in the form of a bumper contract extension. Per various reports, the 22-year-old finally settled on a nine-year, $135 million guaranteed offer.
Shortly after signing the outfielder to his new deal, San Diego Padres General Manager A.J. Preller talked shed some light on his long-term vision for the team.
"We want to get a core group of guys and have them here for a long time, so the Padres fans can see excellence, year in, year out. With Machado like you mentioned, Bogaerts at 32, and Tatis at 26, and now Merrill at 21, just turning 22, you've got some great players lined up for a long time. That was all part of the thought process." A.J. Preller said, via MLB Network Radio on Sunday [0:33]
With so much quality all over the diamond, and all of their stars in good touch at the moment, it is perhaps not surprising to see the exceptional performances the Friars are putting in day in, day out.
As the team look to finally win their first ever championship this season, fans will be hoping all the stars that Preller mentioned earlier can continue to lead from the front.