So Fernando Tatis Jr. is hitting the ball all over the park driving all manner of pitches to the seats beyond left field and somehow launching a low slider the other way over the wall in right field. He shares the major league lead with eight home runs and has the second highest OPS (1.184) in the game.
And the Padres are gushing about how boring hes being.
The kid is just over there fielding his position without incident.
What hes been doing, the most impressive part of this is hes been playing defense, third baseman Manny Machado said. Thats a big part of why the other side of things are flowing with him. Hes getting used to playing good shortstop. When youre at shortstop, youre basically the quarterback of the infield. You have to be on point at all times. Once you do that defensively you become an all-around player. Weve been seeing that.
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For all his diving stops and spectacular throws and athletic tags, Tatis in his rookie season had a penchant to throw balls away, make ill-advised throws and not consistently complete plays on routine grounders. It was perhaps the only knock against him, but it was a significant one.
In 84 games last year, he committed 18 errors (fourth most among shortstops) and had negative-12 outs above average (ranked 28th at his position).
Most problematic and the biggest contributor to those poor numbers was that he ranked 28th among shortstops who played at least 500 innings by making just 95.6 percent of plays (219 of 229 chances) that were considered virtually certain to be made.
Tatis has made every routine play this year, made one questionable throw and been bailed out a couple times on throws hopped to first base.
Said Bobby Dickerson, the Padres exacting infield coach: Through a small portion of the season, absolutely, his clock has been great, hes staying diligent in his daily routines. Hes finding the importance of not giving his opponent anything extra.
The Padres hoped/believed Tatis would improve on the routine. There is a history of extremely talented shortstops gaining wisdom and control after initially coming into the majors like gunslingers.
But the 21-year-old Tatis actually making the adjustment so quickly is why there is rejoicing in the organization.
It comes with maturity, said Dickerson, who is in his first season with the Padres. It takes a little time. Hes advanced in that way. He knows the importance of it as far as what winning looks like. Its one thing to have all the ability in the world, but if you cant play your trade, its all for naught. Hes been a great pupil. Hes the one doing it.
There is a prescience about Tatis that belies his age, and his so quickly improving this facet of his game is considered another example. In several instances over the past 16-plus months Tatis has been in the majors, people have referred to the head start he got and the incomparable tutelage he received from a father who played 11 big-league seasons.
Hes another level, Dickerson said of his young pupil. Hes got all the physical ability, and hes been raised the right way in the game. A lot of times we get really talented players that havent been around the game. I think Im just reiterating some of the things his daddy has told him.
First baseman Eric Hosmer lost upwards of 15 pounds while unable to keep food and liquids down for more than a week with what he says is a still-undiagnosed gastrointestinal issue. He is back up a few pounds (to 207 or 208) and expects the rest of the weight (another 12 or so pounds) to come back quickly now that he is able to eat pretty normal.
He said after Mondays 2-1 win over the Dodgers, in which he drove in the winning run with a sixth-inning single, that he feels great and credited the athletic training staff and others for getting him back to near full health, including stocking his hotel room with extra food.
I have a lot of things to stop, as far as putting sauce on food and just being aware what Im putting in my body now, he said. Ive always done a good job of that, but even more now Ive got to stay on top of it. Its not fun being on the IL, not fun watching these games on TV, so Ill make sure Im on top of all that stuff.
For the second time this season, Tingler changed his lineup Monday after checking with Tommy Pham shortly before game time. The switch involved making Pham the designated hitter rather than playing left field, as initially planned. Jurickson Profar played left field for the first time with the Padres.
If its not perfect right now, we adjust off it, Tingler said. Pham wants to get out there and go. At the end of the day, sometimes I have to be the bad guy, and well have a DH day.
When asked if Phams occasional soreness could be contributing to his recent 3-for-26 run, Tingler was practically incredulous.
He is hitting the ball hard, Tingler said. If I had concerns, I cant reiterate enough, Tommy Pham is not one, not (even) at the very bottom of concerns. I mean this as super respectful to a lot of players Ive been around, Ive just never really seen somebody with his work ethic, drive and desire to master his craft. There is zero concerns. Im just excited. As soon as that adjustment is made and it clicks, look out.
Of the 17 outs Pham has made on balls he has put in play, eight have been struck at 97.1 mph or harder. Only one of his three hits in that span have been hard hits (considered to be 95 mph or harder).
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Padres notes: Tatis the boring shortstop; Hosmer's lost weight: Pham's hard hits - The San Diego Union-Tribune
