San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. has been on an absolute tear to start the 2025 MLB season. Not only is he hitting for power, but Tatis has also displayed an impressive ability to avoid striking out.
Through 21 games this season, Tatis has 12 strikeouts and is slashing .358/.436/.691 with eight home runs, 16 RBIs and seven stolen bases.
When asked about his improvements at the plate between last season and this year, Tatis nodded to a conversation he had with his father, former MLB player Fernando Tatis Sr., this winter. That conversation, Tatis told MLB insider Buster Olney, altered his approach to hitting as a whole and made him appreciate the difference between a reactive approach at the plate versus a more predictive one.
"My dad asked me if I was a good hitter. I told him, 'Yeah.' And he told me, 'No,'" Tatis said, via the Baseball Tonight podcast with Olney. When he asked his father why he wasn't a good hitter, his dad simply said, "Because you never hit .300 consistently."
Tatis Jr. admitted that conversation opened his eyes a bit, and added that his father encouraged him to try to become more consistent. While he is striving to maintain the aspects of his game that make him an elite talent, he's also aiming to improve at becoming better at the combination of reacting to what a pitcher throws him and predicting what he might throw next.
So far, the results have been plain to see. There's hardly a hitter in all of MLB that's been more versatile and dynamic as Tatis in 2025.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fernando Tatis Jr. Explains How Blunt Message From His Father Improved His Hitting.
