Padres News: Fernando Tatis Jr Says He Plays The Game Hard for Everyone That Helped Him Along the Way
Sometimes you just need some inspiration to wake up every day and do your job. This thought is no different for professional athletes as each person has something that motivates them. For San Diego Padres star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., his motivation is everyone that has helped him along the way to get to this point.
“I feel like that wouldn’t be fair to my dad and the people that would have wasted their time with me, training me, teaching me this game, giving me these things that helped me,” he said. “And to God that gave me the talent. It wouldn’t be fair to everybody to not be doing everything that I’m capable of.”
Tatis Jr. has established himself as a true star in the major leagues and he continues to grow his game. He has focused more on the defensive side of the ball lately and it has helped turn him into a more well-rounded baseball player.
On the season, Tatis Jr. is hitting .281 with 16 home runs and 44 runs batted in. He has only played in 65 games this season after finishing up a suspension from last season in the early part of the year. It has been an incredible season for the infielder and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by his veteran manager Bob Melvin.
“Tatis has been amazing,” Melvin said. “Everything I’ve asked him to do, wherever I hit him in the lineup, he’s all for it. He’s enthusiastic about it. Whether it’s first, whether it’s second, whether it’s third. If I hit him fourth, he’d be enthusiastic about that. He’s pretty remarkable in the fact that he just likes to play baseball and have fun and help his team however he can.”
Tatis Jr. continues to lead the Padres on a nightly basis and he is a big reason as to why the team hasn’t completely fallen off yet. San Diego has struggled this season and has much work to do in order to get back into a playoff spot but Tatis Jr. has done his part.
