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Fernando Tatis Jr. 2020 Outlook: Primed To Join League's Upper-Echelon Of Shortstops
Fernando Tatis Jr. certainly made an impression in his first taste of big-league action despite playing just 84 games in 2019. Primarily batting out of the leadoff spot, he slugged 22 HR with 61 R, 53 RBI, 16 SB, and a .317 batting average for the San Diego Padres. If we extrapolate these numbers to a full season, it’s a salivating 42/118/102/31/.317 roto line, all numbers that would have placed him among the top bats at the shortstop position. As a 20-year-old, Tatis Jr. impressed with an excellent 13.2% Barrel%, 44.1% Hard Hit%, and an 89.6 MPH Exit Velocity. The one area of concern was his 29.6% K-rate. Tatis Jr. whiffed on 52.5% of breaking balls and 44.4% of off-speed deliveries, resulting in a .253 BA and .191 BA against these respective pitches. He torched fastballs to a .379 BA, but his xBA of .304 causes some concern. Still, he never went more than two games all season without a base-hit, so his refusal to fall into slumps can help keep his batting average afloat. Tatis Jr. figures to leadoff once again in 2020 but could realistically hit anywhere in the order. At such a young age, there’s plenty of room for improvement, which makes his ADP of 18.46 a tad risky but worth the potential pay off.
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