To kick off our season in review series, Fernando Tatis Jr. takes the spotlight. Tatis Jr. led the Padres in WAR by a landslide, finishing in the top-ten of the league with 6.1.

Playing in the fourth year of a massive, $340 million contract, Fernando Tatis Jr. delivered up to standard. As the 45th-highest-paid player in the MLB per Average Annual Value, Tatis Jr. outperformed his contract. Primarily, he brought possibly the best defensive value on the market along with 32 stolen bags. Although his offense didn’t elevate him to superstardom tier this season, he still finished with a strong .814 OPS at the dish.

Early Season Explosion

Tatis Jr’s most impactful month of baseball, was easily the first one. In April, Tatis Jr. fluctuated atop the MLB in home runs while hovering around a .350 AVG. To many, his success at the plate came from a restructured mechanical approach, in which he removed his typical leg kick. In return, he saw not only excellent power production, but also major career-bests in all bat-to-ball categories. For a month, a power-hitting superstar somehow managed to take the strikeout out of his game.

During this hot stretch, there were a few key moments that propelled Tatis Jr, with the first of which being Opening Day. With his new approach, Tatis Jr. came up with three hits— two of them hit sharply off of the reigning Cy Young winner Chris Sale. He followed up strong the next day with a leadoff, first-pitch home run to launch his dominant April. Another major moment was hitting a pair of home runs, at Petco Park, against the Cubs. In a matchup of teams who got out to fast starts, Tatis Jr. hit both a curveball and fastball for game-altering homers.

Fernando Tatis JR Jonron 6, Home Run MLB pic.twitter.com/ANuDrLgYHU

— RT Universo (@Rtuniverso20) April 15, 2025

Wrist Injury and May Slump

On the first day of the new calendar month, Fernando Tatis Jr. was hit by a pitch against Pittsburgh. His wrist immediately swelled, and although he only missed two at-bats, Tatis Jr. wasn’t the same after. He hit just .181 in May, although he retained solid power output with four home runs.

Throughout this stretch, Tatis Jr. returned to his mechanics of the past. He used a leg kick and clearly shifted his focus from being a contact-first hitter. For this reason, Tatis Jr. became far more one-dimensional then he would’ve liked.

Embracing the Leadoff Role in July

In the heat of the summer, Tatis Jr. enjoyed an incredible month of baseball, although in an unusual way. In July, he sported a ridiculous .438 on-base percentage which gave the Padres a huge boost offensively. He appeared to flatten out his swing, and really found a groove with hitting up the middle. Tatis Jr. led the Padres to arguably their best month offensively, as they nursed several pitching injuries.

Although he hit only two home runs, Tatis Jr. dominated essentially everything else. Tatis Jr. made several unreal catches during the summer, completely familiarizing himself with the right field wall at Petco Park. His .911 OPS was the best in a single month outside of his dominant April. Few players in the MLB brought more pure value in the outfield than Tatis Jr. did over the summer.

Strong in September, Absent in October

With the season winding down, Tatis Jr. was able to even out some of his offensive numbers. Tatis Jr. homered in three straight games towards the tail end of 2025, including a memorable grand slam against the Diamondbacks at home. Tatis Jr— the Padres franchise leader in Postseason OPS— looked poised for another massive Postseason.

Fernando Tatis Jr. GRAND SLAM!!!#ForTheFaithful pic.twitter.com/vzcdHEkzXZ

— San Diego Strong (@PadresStrong) September 27, 2025

It was not to be. Tatis Jr. went 1-11 at the plate, although he made a stellar grab in right field in the Padres’ lone win against Chicago. He struck out four times and failed to connect on anything more than a 94.6 MPH single to center field. The Padres failed to string any real offense together, partially as a result of Tatis Jr’s poor production.

Conclusion

Overall, it was an atypical season from Fernando Tatis Jr. However, his pure talent still led him to produce at an elite level. A platinum glove winner in 2023, Tatis Jr. made a real bid at a second award in his trophy case. His combination of range and arm strength is next-to-none when it comes to outfielders. His revamped impact on the basepaths came in handy out of the leadoff spot, and overall, he played the role well. Despite missing out on some power that may have been expected of him, he made up for it with far less strikeouts and improved table-setting.

Willy Warren

A 17-year-old San Diego native, Willy Warren is a baseball fan at heart who created High Leverage Baseball, a public baseball media account covering around-the-league statistical analysis and breakdowns on X. Willy is set to attend the Cronkite School of Journalism in the fall of 2026 at Arizona State University, where he’ll pursue a major in sports journalism.