With all that he has already accomplished, we sometimes forget how young Fernando Tatis Jr. is. For example, right now, you may need a friendly reminder that Tatis is 22 years old.
That’s right: Tatis’ birthday is the second day of the calendar year, one day after the birthday of his father and former Major League Baseball player Fernando Tatis Sr. (no, no kidding, you can check). And Tatis Sr. has the distinction of being the only player in MLB history to hit two (that number again) Grand Slams in the same half.
So, on this special day, let’s reflect on how amazing Tatis Jr.’s career has already been. Here are some great statistics and data from Tatis in honor of its 22nd anniversary.
Historical company
Accidents and the COVID-19 pandemic have limited Tatis to just 143 career games so far in his MLB career. However, it is in thin air when it comes to offensive production before the age of 22 years. In the last 80 years, only two other players have achieved an OPS + of 154 or higher by the age of 21 (minimum 600 plate appearances): Mike Trout (166) and Albert Pujols (157). In general, there are only four others: Cap Anson (162), Ted Williams (161), Jimmie Foxx (157) and Rogers Hornsby (155). There are four Hall of Famers and two future Hall of Famers, if you count.
If you extrapolate Tatis’ numbers to 143 games in a 162-game season, you would get the following:
.301 / .374 / .582, 44 HR, 111 RBI, 31 SB
Not bad.
As for the baseball benchmark win instead of the substitution, let’s take a look at all the players under the age of 22 who have 7 WARS or more in a single season (Tatis has accumulated 7 WARS in 143 games, so we will call the season):
Mike Trout: 10.5 (2012), 8.9 (2013)
Rogers Hornsby: 9.9 (1917)
Alex Rodriguez: 9.4 (1996)
Rickey Henderson: 8.8 (1980)
Al Kaline: 8.3 (1955)
Eddie Mathews: 8.1 (1953)
César Cedeño: 8.0 (1972)
Jimmie Foxx: 7.9 (1929)
Andruw Jones: 7.4 (1998)
Mel Ott: 7.2 (1929)
Ken Griffey Jr .: 7.1 (1991)
Carlos Correa: 7.0 (2016)
It’s a phenomenal company for the phenomenon.
Records and facts 2019
The youngest player in Padres history to start on opening day (March 28 vs. SF)
The youngest player of 1975 (Robin Yount) who had more hits in the opening day (2 of 3 vs. SF on March 28)
First round on home soil: April 1 vs. ARI in two rounds shot Merrill Kelly in the sixth inning of Padres’ 10-3 loss
The youngest shortstop to make four home runs in his team’s first 16 games (April 13 at ARI)
The youngest player to have a home game at Dodger Stadium (July 7 at LAD)
The youngest player to hit the starts in consecutive matches (August 7 at SEA, August 8 vs. COL)
Most home runs in a single season in Padres history (6)
Most home runs (22!) From shortstop before age 21 (August 8 vs. COL).
Series of 14 shots from July 26 to August 26. 10; six previous players who had a series of shots of 10 or more games before turning 21: Juan Soto, Ronald Acuña Jr, Ozzie Albies, Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Mike Trout
He finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year award, despite playing only 84 games due to injury.
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A great 2020.
In the 2020 season shortened by the pandemic, Tatis was hot from the start, being named National League Player of the Month in August, after hitting .313 / .388 / .670 with 11 at home.
Tatis managed the first grand slam of his career with a 3-0 pitch from right-wing Rangers Juan Nicasio during a 14-4 victory at Globe Life Field on August 17th. Given how far San Diego was, it generated controversy.
He was one of the best defensive breaks in baseball in 2020, finishing with +7 OAA.
He finished fourth in the National League MVP Award voting.
He hit .455 with a pair of runs to help his parents beat the Cardinals in the NL Wild Card series.