Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. gets 100% real on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s MLB careers

Both Fernando Tatis Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have experienced rather successful careers to this point. Only two months apart in age, the players signed with MLB clubs as international free agents in 2015 and eventually debuted in the majors in 2019.

Tatis Jr. initially signed with the Chicago White Sox but was traded a year later to the San Diego Padres, with whom he has spent the rest of his career to this point. As one of the most highly anticipated prospects in baseball, he made the Padres’ 2019 Opening Day roster and had an incredible rookie season. In 84 games, he hit for splits of .317 AVG / .379 OBP / .590 SLG, as well as 22 home runs and 53 RBIs. He finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting despite missing nearly half of the season due to injury.

Since then, Tatis Jr. has developed into one of the best players in the MLB. He has twice finished in the top five of NL MVP voting and has won two Silver Slugger Awards, one Gold Glove, and one Platinum Glove, in addition to being named an All-Star in 2021.

Guerrero Jr. similarly rose through the Blue Jays’ minor-league ranks and became one of the top prospects in all of baseball prior to his 2019 MLB debut. In 123 games as a rookie, Guerrero Jr. hit .272 / .339 / .433 and finished sixth in AL Rookie of the Year voting.

Guerrero Jr.’s best season of his career so far came in 2021, when he surpassed the .300 batting average mark with splits of .311 / .401 / .601. He led the AL in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, and led the majors in runs, home runs, and total bases. He was named an All-Star for the first time in his career, finished second in AL MVP voting, and won a Silver Slugger Award. Over the past two years, Guerrero Jr. has been named an All-Star each season. He also won a Gold Glove in 2022.

Both Tatis Jr. and Guerrero Jr.’s fathers had long, successful careers in baseball. Tatis, who is possibly most well-known for hitting two grand slams in an inning during a game and holding the record for most RBIs in a single inning. He played more than a decade with the Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, Montreal Expos, Baltimore Orioles, and New York Mets.

Guerrero, a Baseball Hall of Famer, played the bulk of his career with the Expos and Anaheim / Los Angeles Angels, although he finished his MLB time with Rangers and Orioles. Guerrero was named the 2004 AL MVP and earned eight Silver Slugger Awards and nine All-Star selections while hitting .318 and more than 400 home runs in his career.