The names Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Wayne Gretzky were raised in a question about shortstop superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. on Thursday morning, hours after the news spread about his mega-extension with the San Diego Padres.
Manager Jayce Tingler welcomed him.
“This is definitive,” said Tingler when asked if Tatis was on the right path to becoming that kind of transcendent player in his sport. “I think the talent is undeniable. The more you are around you, the organization, the scouts, the secondary league guys, the major league coaches, your teammates – it’s just a consistent theme. Your desire to win, your motivation to improve.
“You look up and he’s filming the Dominican, he still wants to play ball, he’s working. He knows there are areas that he wants to attack and he keeps attacking and working, and those are some of the things that some of the guys you mentioned, be it Jordan, and watching ‘The Last Dance’ and things like that – I hope there are some very common themes there. “
Tatis, 22, agreed to a 14-year, $ 340 million extension with the Fathers that has not yet been finalized, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. It is the third largest deal in baseball history behind the Mike Trout ($ 426.5 million) and Mookie Betts ($ 365 million) businesses, and will be worth almost $ 200 million more than the previous record for a business executed before of a referee player’s first year, previously achieved by Trout.
The excitement surrounding the Fathers, and what this signals about the direction of this beginning franchise, is already noticeable.
Tatis has not yet recorded a full season of major league games, but he is the first player in history with at least 35 home runs and 25 bases stolen in his first 150 games. His talent, his talent, his personality and his ability to connect with English and Spanish speaking audiences helped him obtain important sponsorships with companies like Gatorade and Adidas.
That he is at the center of a list of Fathers suddenly full of talent – featuring Manny Machado, Chris Paddack and newly acquired Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Ha-seong Kim – only adds to Tatis’s mystique. The Fathers reside in a relatively small market, but will soon join the New York Yankees as the only two-player teams with contracts worth more than $ 300 million.
The Priests’ Opening Day payroll projects more than $ 180 million – about $ 80 million more than the previous record set six years earlier.
Tingler cannot yet comment on the details of Tatis’ deal, which is still pending physical examination, but his initial reaction was “pure emotion, happiness on several fronts”.
“I think the easiest thing to do with him is his talent, and that in every way,” said Tingler. “The way he runs, the way he moves, the way he can hit to get strength, hit in all directions, work ethics, seeing him improve consistently in various areas of the game, certainly in the defensive, and the way he plays the game, in that fun spirit, the way his teammates see him, the way he treats other people – all of those factors.
“Obviously, I couldn’t be more excited. I’m looking forward to talking more about this a little later, but there is a lot of excitement here.”