Fernando Tatís Jr.

Dominican star the Padres signed to a 14-year, $340 million extension.

via Wikipedia: Fernando Tatís Jr. · see source

Fernando Tatís Jr. is a Dominican right fielder and infielder for the San Diego Padres, nicknamed "El Niño" and "El Bebo". Born on January 2, 1999, and the son of former big leaguer Fernando Tatís Sr., he broke in as a shortstop in 2019, won Silver Slugger Awards in 2020 and 2021 and signed a 14-year, $340 million extension before the 2021 season. He missed 2022 through injury and a suspension, then returned to win Platinum Glove Awards in 2023 and 2025.

Quick Facts

Team

San Diego Padres

Position

Right fielder
Second baseman
Shortstop

Born

2 January 1999

Birthplace

San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic

Bats

Right

Debutleague

MLB

Debutdate

March 28

Debutyear

2019

Facts from the source article.

Lore & Background

Tatís grew up in San Pedro de Macorís and spent much of his childhood around big league clubhouses. The Chicago White Sox signed him in 2015, and on June 4, 2016, before he had played a professional game, they traded him to the Padres for James Shields. He made the Opening Day roster in 2019 and finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting despite a back injury that ended his season. In 2020 he was fourth in the MVP race. In 2021 he started the All-Star Game, the first Padres All-Star starter since Tony Gwynn, and led the league with 42 home runs. On August 12, 2022, he was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for Clostebol.

Reader's Guide

For Padres fans, the extension is the headline: at the time it was the third-richest deal in MLB history and the richest ever given to a player not yet eligible for salary arbitration. His best statistical year so far is 2021, when he drove in 97 runs, stole 25 bases and finished third in MVP voting. After moving to right field he added Platinum Glove Awards in 2023 and 2025 and All-Star selections in 2024 and 2025.

Did You Know?

On April 23, 2021, exactly 22 years after his father hit two grand slams in one inning, Tatís hit two home runs off Clayton Kershaw.
He was the fourth Padres player with 30 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season.
He trained with first base coach Wayne Kirby to make the switch to the outfield.