Just a week and a half ago, the Padres must have been feeling pretty good. They were in playoff position and had just hit a huge trade deadline that had landed several big-name players, including 23-year-old superstar Juan Soto. On Friday, however, the team suffered a minor blow to the pit of the stomach. Fellow young star Fernando Tatis Jr. was banned for 80 games for violating the league’s drug policy by failing a PED test.
Recall that Tatis suffered a broken wrist in a motorcycle accident during the off-season. When asked about the date of his accident, Tatis responded with a question: “Which one?”
Which motorcycle accident? In the same off-season?
And now on top of that, Tatis has been banned until next May. He will miss the entire 2022 season, largely due to bad decisions. There’s a phrase I learned from a coach a long time ago that has stuck in my mind for years. “Control what you can control.” You can’t control the referees, you can’t control the weather, you can’t control how the opposing team plays. However, you can, among other things, control your decision-making.
Tatis was involved in a motorcycle accident last off-season and apparently decided to continue motorcycling. His wrist was injured and he didn’t tell anyone about it until he reported to the camp in March. These are bad decisions that kept Tatis out of the Padres line-up until August. And now, on top of that, we’ve learned that further issues with his decision-making have resulted in him missing another 80 games.
The Padres’ general manager, AJ Preller, had some words that were far more stern than we’re used to from office managers when addressing one of their stars.
“I think we’re hoping there’s some maturity from the offseason so far,” Preller said. via The Athletic. “And obviously with today’s news, it’s more of a pattern and something we need to delve into a little bit more. I’m sure he’s very disappointed, but at the end of the day it’s one thing to say. You have to start showing it with your actions.”
“I think what we need to achieve is a point in time where we trust,” Preller said. via San Diego Union-Tribune. “I think over the course of the last six or seven months, that’s something we couldn’t really have.”
Harsh? Probably, but it’s pretty much spot on. Starting pitcher Mike Clevinger had similar feelings on the matter:
Tatis is only 23, but his father played in the majors for part of 11 seasons. The concept of being a responsible Premier League player shouldn’t be new.
As one of baseball’s most talented players, Tatis should be accountable to his teammates. Remember last year they were in the playoffs and they collapsed on the track. They’ve played well in his absence and are preparing to add great talent in the pursuit of a deep playoff run and perhaps the Padres’ first World Series title. Instead, they have to do without him.
He’s also in the second year of a 14-year, $340 million deal, which means he’ll have management and ownership responsibilities. As Preller alluded, Tatis hasn’t gotten through so far.
The best bet here is the PED suspension which scared Tatis straight up and he will grow strong until serving his suspension and go into the future with better decisions. Then again, shouldn’t that first motorcycle accident have been the wake-up call?