Fernando Tatis Jr has joined some excellent company following his latest home run.
Tatis homered in the bottom of the third inning of Friday’s San Diego Padres-Cincinnati Reds game to tie things at one. The home run was the sixth of the season for Tatis, who is a rookie.
The 20-year-old shortstop now has six home runs in his first 20 career games. That puts him towards the top of a list for most home runs in the first 20 career games by a player under age 21.
Fernando Tatis Jr. has 6 HR in 20 career games.
Most HR in 1st 20 career games, players under age 21 (since 1908):
Rafael Devers – 8
Ron Swoboda – 7
Orlando Cepeda – 7
Tatis – 6 ** thru 1 tonight
Frank Robinson – 6— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 20, 2019
Devers is in his third MLB season and has dropped off significantly since his hot start, though he has shown some promise. Swoboda had a nine-year career but never made an All-Star team. However, the two other players on the list — Cepeda and Robinson — are Hall of Famers.
We’re guessing Tatis, who has been widely viewed as one of the top prospects in baseball, will end up with a career closer to Cepeda and Robinson than Devers and Swoboda.
Batting .300 with a .973 OPS this season, Tatis is off to a great start.
