AJ Preller Believes Fernando Tatis Jr. Needs to Be Great for Padres World Series Contention This Year

Could Tatis Jr. be able to take his game to the next level?

San Diego Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. has had a tough couple of years. He missed all of the 2022 season due to a motorcycle accident that left him with a fractured wrist and an 80-game PED suspension. In 2023, he missed the first 20 games of the season because of that suspension. 

Although he had a solid year, he was far from his MVP self we all witnessed in 2021. However, 2024 presents new beginnings, and Tatis Jr. is ready to conquer it. 

Although he's the youngest star on the team, you could argue he's the brightest. When Tatis Jr. is on, no one can touch him. Whether that'll be the case this upcoming season, we must wait and see. 

While we wonder whether he'll return to that form, Padres's president of baseball operations and general manager, A.J. Preller, believes he must and will reach that level again. Preller took it even a step further as he told San Diego Tribune's Kevin Acee that Tatis Jr. would need to be great for the Friars to be World Series contenders this year. 

“He’s been a Silver Slugger, All-Star and obviously what he can do defensively,” Padres President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller said. “I think that for us to contend and challenge and compete and go win a World Series, that’s probably Fernando being the best version of himself. And that’s being a five-tool guy that can dominate on both sides of the ball. And I think that’s what he expects of himself.”

-A.J. Preller, via San Diego Tribune

It's very possible for Tatis Jr. to be the player Preller and Padre fans hope he'd be. 

The last time we saw the 25-year-old reach that level was in 2021 when he slashed .282/.364/.611 with 135 hits, 42 home runs (led National League), 97 RBIs, 99 runs scored and a 7.3 offensive WAR (led the major leagues). 

It's been a while since we have seen that Tatis Jr., but age and health are on his side. As long as he is healthy, we should see him return to his All-Star form in 2024. 

The Padres aren't entering the season as the juggernaut they once were, but that could all change with how far Tatis Jr. could take them.