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Jurickson Profar has played for three teams since he left his original organization, the Rangers, after the 2018 season. In Oakland and Colorado, he was tagged with negative bWAR numbers. In San Diego, he has a 4.9 bWAR.

Simply put, Profar plays his best ball in San Diego.

The trend has continued in 2024, as Profar has a bWAR mark of 0.2 in the season’s early weeks. Re-signed by the Padres after reaching free agency, Profar has become the everyday left fielder and has posted a slash line of .333/.434/.578 with two home runs. He was 3-for-3 with a homer during Wednesday’s win against the Cubs.

What is it about Profar and San Diego?

“The city just feels like home, like Curaçao,” Profar said. “I grew up playing in an environment like here. It just brings the best out in me.”

The Viceroy of Vibes in San Diego, Profar seems to bring out the best in his Padres teammates, too. His smile is ever present, his positivity relentless.

“That’s who he is,” first baseman Jake Cronenworth said. “This is home. This is where he’s most comfortable. We’re all glad he came back.”

The Padres knew they’d get consistent vibes from Profar when they re-signed him on Feb. 24. They did not know they’d get consistent production. With the obvious “small sample size” caveat, Profar has been ballin’ in 2024. His Statcast page shows his average exit velocity (93.7 mph), wOBA (.384) and walk rate (14%) would all be career bests if he maintains those levels.

Profar, 31, recently reached 10 years of MLB service time. That’s something fewer than 10% of all Major Leaguers achieve, according to the Major League Baseball Players Association.

It hasn’t been an easy ride to get there. Profar has had only two seasons of 500 at-bats or more. He has only three seasons with an OPS+ above the average mark of 100. Of course, two of those seasons came in San Diego.

Is it likely Profar can keep this pace up and have a career year at age 31? No. But, for now, he has filled a giant hole for the Padres and lengthened the lineup.

“Jurickson Profar has done a phenomenal job in pretty much every aspect,” manager Mike Shildt said. “He’s played a solid left field. He’s taken really, really good at-bats. He’s in a good spot in the order. …

“The other residual benefit that you can never quantify is just the quality of competitor he is, and the respect he has from his teammates and how he goes about his business. He’s a guy I appreciate, from my chair.

“I like the fact he’s always going to be prepared. I like the fact he has a good attitude. He plays the game hard, plays the game smart. He’s just a guy who’s a winning player, and you can’t have enough of them.”