The San Diego Padres' 2023 campaign was an abject failure. A big reason for their lack of success last season was due to the absence of Fernando Tatis Jr due to a suspension. With their other big guns in Manny Machado and Juan Soto misfiring, San Diego struggled to gain any sort of consistency. Even when Tatis returned, there were a lot of questions about where he'd play in the outfield.
This time around, Fernando Tatis Jr is making sure his spot in the outfield is secure. When asked about his preferred position in 2024, the Padres star responded by saying that he's sticking at right field, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic.
A year ago, as he returned from suspension and multiple surgeries, Fernando Tatis Jr. prepared to be the Padres’ starting right fielder while hinting at a desire to eventually transition to center field. Now, there is no ambiguity about where Tatis will open another season — or what his defensive preference is. “It’s gonna be right field,” Tatis said.
Tatis further elaborated on why he prefers to play right field over center field.
“When I got back there and really paid attention to the dimensions of our ballpark, I saw the difference and, you know, I was catching fly balls in center field and right field,” Tatis said. “I felt like I was able to run more in right field, cover more ground. We just need to have the right approach in the outfield now this year that maybe it could even let me cover a little more ground.”
Once considered a below-average defender, Tatis found his groove on defense when he moved to right field to accommodate the arriving Xander Bogaerts. The Padres star's arm and range was on full display, as he led the league in assists and was the highest-graded play by Defensive Runs Saved. It was a nice breath of fresh air for a star that has all the potential to be a Gold Glover, but was never consistent enough.
However, his defensive improvements came with a price, it seemed like. While Tatis flashed the leather quite well, his bat failed him for the entire season. A year off of competitive play without a proper training camp hindered the Padres star. Now that he has that under his belt, fans are hoping for the best, especially after the trade with Juan Soto.
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