SAN DIEGO -- It didn’t happen overnight. There was no formal announcement. But make no mistake: Fernando Tatis Jr. is now the everyday second baseman in San Diego.
On Wednesday, prior to the Padres’ series finale against the rival Dodgers, Tatis was presented with the Platinum Glove Award that he earned while playing right field exclusively last season.
And then … he started at second base for the fifth straight game -- including all three against the Dodgers this week. He’s now started at second in eight of the last nine games. For all intents and purposes, he is the Padres second baseman.
So … how did we get here?
This is not the way the Padres drew it up. When they approached Tatis with the idea, they envisioned him playing second occasionally, perhaps spelling the team’s starting middle infielders. It was a once-a-week (maybe twice) proposition.
Then, slowly, it began to morph. Jake Cronenworth struggled, and the Padres began to move Tatis back and forth as a way to platoon the lefty-hitting Cronenworth with one of their righty-hitting outfielders. Then, Cronenworth landed on the injured list with a concussion.
The Padres had a decision to make. They promoted Sung-Mun Song to take Cronenworth’s roster spot. But Song is still acclimating to the big leagues, offensively. Meanwhile, San Diego has gotten major contributions from all four fringe corner bats lately -- Gavin Sheets, Miguel Andujar, Ty France and Nick Castellanos.
The best way to keep those guys in the starting lineup? Make Tatis at second base a bit more permanent, while playing one of them in the outfield.
“If you’re going to be versatile, be really good at being versatile,” infielders coach Ryan Goins said of Tatis. “That’s what a lot of good teams do -- they can switch the lineup all around, move spots. It’s definitely a good thing. It puts more offense in the lineup, and he’s not a downgrade on defense either.”
Hmmm. That last part is tricky. There are two aspects to it. First…
Tatis as a second baseman
Indeed, Tatis is not a downgrade at second. He’s been perfectly adequate there. And lately, he’s been getting better. His double-play turns are cleaner. He’s clearly more comfortable using his range. On Tuesday, he robbed Mookie Betts of a single up the middle by ranging well past the bag.
“I’m just getting reps,” Tatis said last week.
Of course, like Betts, Tatis began his career as an infielder, before moving to right, then back to the infield dirt.
“Obviously having the background in the infield makes it easy,” Goins said. “Mookie was an infielder before he was a right fielder. You just have something of a base. … The main things I’ve wanted him to be OK at was: Around the bag, turning double plays. And feeding to second. And he’s gotten a lot better. The last couple he’s had have been quicker.
“Then, the plays like last night -- those plays where it’s strictly athleticism -- he’s going to make those just because of who he is.”
No longer Platinum in right
But the Padres are only half right when they say it’s not a downgrade defensively. It’s not a downgrade at second base. Because Tatis has proven serviceable there. But it’s absolutely a downgrade in right field. Because anyone is a downgrade from Tatis in right field.
The Padres are OK with that. Their defense, on the whole, has been mostly fine. They’re searching for offense wherever they can find it right now. (Of course, Tatis himself is part of that equation, having struggled immensely at the plate this year.)
“We’re trying to score runs,” Stammen said earlier this month, on the night a Castellanos misplay in right proved costly. “You want to play offense early, get ahead, then you can put your defense in late. That’s kind of the way I look at it. You just can’t have both at all times.”
Considering the struggles of their superstars, the Padres need bats like Sheets, Andujar and France in their lineup right now. Even Castellanos has begun to heat up. One surefire way to ensure those bats are being maximized? Tatis at second.
When Cronenworth returns, perhaps everything reverts to normal. But Cronenworth will need to hit first. Because, otherwise, there’s a case for using Cronenworth in the Song role -- as a defensive replacement more than anything else.
As things stand, it’s only when San Diego has a late lead that Song enters at second base, moving Tatis to right, and giving the Padres their Platinum defensive alignment again.