Freddy Fermin's bat is poised for a career year. One analyst predicts a breakout performance, hoping he builds on his playoff heroics.
The San Diego Padres have had an eventful week as they got to Arizona for spring training, and despite financial limitations and a possible sale, they remain a competitor in the National League.
Still, they are counting on mostly returning players to lead them back to the postseason, where they were bounced in five games by the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card round last fall. One of these returning players, catcher Freddy Fermin, could enjoy a career season during his first full year in San Diego.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter predicted Fermin to be the Padres’ breakout hitter for the 2026 campaign in a recent article.
After landing with the Friars at last year’s deadline in exchange for pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek, Fermin became a go-to guy behind the plate for the club. His numbers at the plate saw a dip as he adjusted to his new team, going from a .648 to .617 OPS, but with a full offseason to prepare and get more comfortable with his new club, Fermin is hoping to bring those numbers back up in 2026.
Despite heading into just his fourth full season in the majors, Fermin will be turning 31 years old this year. That’s not a deterrent for San Diego, however, as their priority has been to field the best possible team now, regardless of age. That strategy has depleted their farm system, but it’s led to back-to-back campaigns with at least 90 wins.
Newly-extended general manager and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller will be hoping his trade for Fermin at last year’s deadline is another in the long list of impactful moves that he's made during his time in San Diego.
Fermin has made more of a defensive impact in the majors, but his bat has shown signs of being positive as well. He saw increases in his barrel percentage and average exit velocity last season, which is encouraging, although they are still near the bottom of the league.
What really makes Fermin a breakout candidate is his showing the last time on the field in the Wild Card. In the series, he went 4-for-11 with two doubles. The hope for the Padres is that Fermin can build off his postseason production and have more impact at the plate as he heads into his first full season as the guy. If so, the Padres would be much better off for it.