Padres News: Fernando Tatis Jr. Proves He’s One of Baseball’s Most Popular Players

The 2023 season proved once again just how special Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. is for the game of baseball. 

After another dominant season on both sides of the ball, the young superstar's influence was quite apparent among the stars of the league. 

The Dominican sensation finished up a suspension spanning from last year to the beginning of 2023 but returned in late April to his All-Star form. 

Tatis Jr. didn't play in the midsummer classic yet his end-of-year stat line proved such an omission to be a mistake. 

Through 141 games, the infielder-turned-outfielder compiled a 5.5 WAR thanks in large part to his defensive improvement with his positional change. 

Now manning a corner outfield position, the 24-year-old ranked high in defensive metrics all year long as one of the best in the league. 

Fully healthy after an odd 2022 year with both PED suspension and injury, Tatis Jr.'s popularity remains high among fans of the game evidenced by his jersey sale numbers. 

Shohei Ohtani rightfully earned the No. 1 overall spot due to his two-way prowess and skillset that this generation has never seen from a baseball player. 

This year's likely NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. checked in at the second spot after a superb 2023 as the inaugural member of the 40 homer/70 stolen base club. 

Aaron Judge's market in New York paired with his powerful bat made him an understandable choice at third, but Tatis Jr.'s competition remained limited to these three stars. 

San Diego's right fielder adjusted just fine to critics, opposing fans and a new spot on defense to produce another great year for his team. 

The Friars may have missed the postseason this year but 2024 will mean another season under contract for Tatis Jr. 

The fans at Petco Park have certainly seen better seasons than 2023, but this generation of fans haven't seen a player as unique as their young superstar.