Padres News: Fernando Tatis Jr Shares Philosophy of Weathering Ups and Downs
The Padres have had a disappointing year despite having some of baseball's biggest stars on their roster. With a 55-58 record, the Friars are four games out of the National League Wild Card race and are close to being the face of potentially one of the most disappointing seasons in Major League Baseball history.
One of their stars, Fernando Tatis Jr., spoke on his philosophy regarding the ups and downs of baseball and how he's approached some of the Padres' disappointing losses.
"I know this game and this game is gonna bring you down. It's gonna bring you up to the highest and then it's gonna grab you by the neck and throw you as hard as it can through the floor," Tatis Jr. said on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. "So it's up to you how hard and tough you stay with this game and just trust your abilities and just trust it's just gonna come. Because the beauty of this game is that you have another day for tomorrow, so you might as well just appreciate it and keep working as hard as possible."
(Via ESPN Sunday Night Baseball)
Tatis Jr., who was moved to right field after playing shortstop for most of his career, is having a disappointing August, hitting just .120/.185/.320 in six games. As a whole, the 24-year-old is struggling to get on base more so than he typically has in his three other seasons. His OBP is almost .050 less than any other season, and his slugging percentage is seeing an even bigger dropoff.
Despite this, Tatis Jr. said his confidence is there. To his credit, the recently-converted outfielder did miss the entire 2022 season and a chunk of the 2023 season due to a suspension as well as an injury.
The Padres, who just lost three of four against the Dodgers, look to build back some momentum with a two-game series against the Seattle Mariners.