The latest from America’s Finest City, where a midseason malaise will keep the long-suffering Padres out of postseason play for the 13th consecutive season . . .
- Wunderkind Fernando Tatis Jr., who’s hit the shelf with a serious injury for the third time in the last calendar year, has no plans to change his hyper-aggressive manner on the field, writes MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell. “No, absolutely not,” Tatis responded when posed with the question. “If it’s part of it, it’s part of it. But I’m not going to change my game at all.” The team, though, won’t sit by in deference: “Nobody’s looking to change him much or at all,” Padres manager Andy Green noted. “But there will be moments in time where he learns, through time, that he doesn’t need to take a chance. That’s not necessarily saying he’s going to play soft or step off the gas pedal. He’ll play very similar to the way he always has. That’s the way we want him to play. He will continue to learn and grow the more he plays.” A public position slightly hedged typically means a great deal more beneath the surface, so it’s almost certain the club’ll place caution at the center of its future messages to the young star. Tatis’ .317/.379/.590 line was slightly inflated by an obviously unsustainable .410 BABIP this season, with Statcast pegging the rookie as the NL’s luckiest hitter in ’19, but it was nonetheless a banner debut for ESPN’s #1 overall prospect entering the season.
- Fellow rookie Chris Paddack, whose relentless first-half assault on National League hitters has been thwarted by further exposure and the absence of a quality third offering, isn’t on a concrete innings limit, as Cassavell explores in a separate piece. A 2016 Tommy John Surgery limited the righty to just 90 IP in 2018, but the club has no plans to clot his late-season leak: “That’s not where my head is,” manager Andy Green said. “Get him back on the bump, attack again, overcome. Obviously if there’s something going on, that would change my mind quickly. But I think health-wise, he feels good.” After a solid first-half showing, in which the 23-year-old’s typically dominant K/BB was marred only by a 1.31 HR/9 mark, Paddack has been drilled in 35 post-all-star-break innings, allowing nine homers and as many doubles en route to a .507 slugging percentage against and 5.56 FIP. The former eighth rounder out of a Texas high school is author to perhaps the most impressive minor-league numbers since the days of Tim Lincecum, but may find his relentless zone-pounding in need of curation.
- Catcher Francisco Mejia, who appears now to have wrestled full-time duties away from incumbent Austin Hedges, looks to be finding his stride in the season’s second half. The 23-year-old’s 142 wRC+, on the back of a much-improved 7.5% BB rate, ranks fifth among MLB catchers over that span. The once-undiscerning backstop has also sliced his strikeout rate nearly 10% from last season’s 30.6% mark, and is now chasing pitches at a far-more-respectable rate. Mejia will still need to improve his much-maligned (in prospect circles) defense to fulfill his lofty upside, but the Friars may well have found their backstop of the future.
.415 Babip? Tacos might not actually be that good
May be maybe not. I think he is good not great but goo.d. Like vladdy jr beter though. Imagine that infield. Vladdy and taros. All she wrote.
Tacos
Tacos are always good. Mmmm carnitas
He meant tatis macho man. Relax.
nachos?
Nachos with chili mmmm
Tacos and Nachos!
Well we are talking San Diego here so Mexican food is pretty prevalent.
The Double A team for the Padres last year was a taco. Puffy the Taco in fact.
“.415 Babip? Tacos might not actually have had that good of a batting average this season.”
Please, frame things like this, lets not end a guys a career at 20 because he got some lucky singles for 3 months.
Sure, but he’s not been doing as well as the line says
He’ll make Jeter look average in five years from now.
We’ll see about that
Nacho fries?
How do you know when you’ve got someone else’s fries?
When they’re Not Chyo Fries.
No
This is Not Chyo Lukewarm day
*Lucky
who was the Padres fan on here that would report the writers for writing anything remotely negative about the team? he’s been the best part of the Padres season…
I think that was a Mets fan.
mets2020
LOL! you’re right! my bad Pad’s
Wouldn’t expect anything less from Tatis JR. Paddack is good but pounds the zone too much and will learn in time to throw purposeful balls. Mejia finally showing his bat at the MLB level, so much they used him in LF a few games. Padres future is still bright but they need an ace and a veteran bullpen arm to replace Stammen.
Tatis, Paddack, and Mejia are 3 long term super stars
SUPERSTARS
Myopic Padre fans calling out superstars like they know what a superstar is.
Mejia first half slash 33 G 103 PA .599 OPS .265 BABIP
Mejia second half slash 33 G 107 PA .929 OPS .356 BABIP
Interesting…Mejia’s got tools but if he keeps up that second half with the BABIP stabilizing, that’s a .290ish hitter and he’ll be a perennial C fantasy star.
This 2nd half….in a lost season,is the best thing that could have happened to Paddack.
This kid is “relentless” and will work twice as hard now to make sure he doesn’t tail off again next summer.
As far as Tatis and his BABIP….it was high all season.
Never came down because he beats out so many infield hits.
It won’t always be that high but don’t expect this kid to suddenly become a .250 hitter.
If he plays 150+ games expect .295/.395/550 from him.
He “just” turned 20 and will get even stronger.
He will also,with experience,learn to not try to do too much….most of his errors were throwing errors on balls most SS’s never even field that he should have just put in his back pocket.
Paddack is my incredible
Padre fan be like “Paddack is Walter Johnson”
Things are going swimmingly in Preller 5th year 9 games under and visitors in their own park for 6 game stretch. Keep the faith
Next year 2020 will be AJ’s last unless they make the playoffs. Green is also on the edge. New fresh blood is what this team needs. Their looking sad make some trades in Nov and Dec like two good SP’s, a good lead off hitter, a 2B who hits above his weight and dump Myers eat his salary.
Bingo
Playoffs they are going to from 90 losses to 90 wins in 1 year good luck with that
Paddack needs to take the attention off himself and grow up. He’s a professional baseball player and needs to act like it. I love this guy and I truly believe he will be a super star.
Relentless zone pounding in need of curation?
Ha wtf
Yes he does. Kids 8 yrs old dress as Cowboys.