San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. had some strong words for the doubters after being named the shortstop of MLB's All-MLB First Team.
Tatis got on camera holding his honorary plaque, citing a number of past criticisms regarding his ability to play the shortstop position before zooming in on the accolade itself.
Talk your talk, @tatis_jr 😤
(via @Padres)pic.twitter.com/vgiWXJuKgU
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) December 10, 2020
Not only did Tatis prove he could play an excellent defensive shortstop, but also showed he was capable of playing at the highest level.
Tatis ranked first among infielders (second among all players) in outs above average, according to Baseball Savant, just one year after ranking 261st out of 266 players in that same category.
The 21-year-old consistently displayed tremendous range to go along with a cannon of a throwing arm. Tatis and Padres third baseman Manny Machado form arguably the best defensive left side of any infield in the bigs.
Tatis was pretty darn strong at the plate, as well.
San Diego had one of the best offenses in baseball last year, and Tatis was at the center of it all. He hit 17 homers, stole 11 bases and posted a .937 OPS on the season en route to finishing fourth in the National League MVP Award voting.
There had been speculation the Friars might attempt to sign their star shortstop to a long-term deal this offseason, though nothing appears imminent at this juncture.
For now, Tatis and the Padres are intent on proving doubters wrong and attempting to dethrone the Los Angeles Dodgers at the top of the NL West.
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