San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. had a strong showing on ESPN's top 100 players list for the 2026 season.
San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. has been one of Major League Baseball’s most entertaining players to watch in recent memory.
The ever-so-electrifying Tatis has put together an impressive career thus far, and at just 27-years-old, he’s officially entering his prime. Carrying career stats of 152 home runs, 393 RBI and 124 stolen bases to go along with a slash line of .277/.354/.513 (.868 OPS) and 27.2 WAR over 671 games puts him on a Hall of Fame trajectory if he can continue putting up strong offensive and defensive seasons.
Defensively, it wasn’t as easygoing during the beginning of his career when he was the Padres’ shortstop. In 2019, Tatis committed 18 errors in just 83 games and produced -5 defensive runs saved. In 2020, Tatis was much better than as a rookie, only committing three errors and earning one DRS before going back downhill in 2021.
Tatis had so many errors at shortstop (21) in 102 games that the Padres moved him to right field. He had -6 DRS and the trust at the position from the organization was gone, and yet, Tatis was an All-Star, Silver Slugger winner and finished third in National League Most Valuable Player voting.
Tatis hit 42 homers (led NL) and 31 doubles with 97 RBI while slashing .282/.364/.611 (.975 OPS) in 130 games. He also stole 25 bases on 29 attempts, establishing himself as a dominant offensive player in the batter’s box and on the base paths.
Unfortunately for Tatis, his 2022 season was lost for two reasons. In mid-March of that year, following a motorcycle accident, Tatis broke his left wrist. Near the end of his rehab in mid-August, MLB suspended Tatis for 80 games for taking a banned substance, effectively ending his season. He said he took the substance inadvertently while treating ringworm.
His offensive production dipped the following year, but he won his first Gold Glove and Platinum Glove by logging a whopping 29 DRS in 2023. His production picked back up, but he hasn’t surpassed 25 homers since 2021. Still, he’s more well-rounded and took home another Gold Glove and Platinum Glove in 2025.
Even with his power numbers taking a bit of a hit in recent years, ESPN placed him inside the top 15 on their top 100 players for 2026 list, ranking him as the 14th-best player.
“He's still a star, but those early numbers had him on an all-time-great track,” Bradford Doolittle wrote Wednesday. “The Padres could very much use that version of Tatis to return. If it does, he's as well positioned as anyone for that No. 2 slot in the NL MVP voting behind Ohtani.”
Doolittle predicts that if Tatis hits cleanup like he has in spring training after leading off for 150 of 155 games last season, he will hit 100 RBI for the first time in his career but that’s reliant on his teammates setting the table for him.
Tatis has three All-Star appearances to go along with his two Gold Gloves, Platinum Gloves and Silver Sluggers.