Juan Soto has a surprising pick for the best player in baseball.
The New York Mets star named San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. as his pick for MLB’s best player. Speaking to Abriendo Sports, Soto said Tatis does “everything” at an elite level and pointed to Tatis’ career achievements as evidence for his stance.
“Fernando Tatis Jr. is the best player in the game for me. He can do it all in the field,” Soto said, via MLB insider Hector Gomez. “You can see players that do everything at least average or better, but he does everything elite. He has won the Platinum Glove, can hit 40 home runs in San Diego, hits .300, runs, knows how to play the game and how to move on both sides of the ball and has a cannon of an arm. What else can you ask a player to do that the doesn’t do already?”
Soto and Tatis spent a year and a half as teammates in San Diego, so Soto would know better than most. Still, Tatis’ stock is down at the moment, and not many would agree with the assertion. While it is true that Tatis was a dominant hitter for the first three years of his career, his offensive numbers have taken a hit since his PED suspension cost him the entire 2022 season.
Since returning from that suspension, Tatis has hit a more modest .265 with 46 home runs in 243 games. He is still a fine player, but he is not quite as good as he was initially. Some might say this is a result of his confidence being dented, but others would probably suggest that it’s not a coincidence that his offensive numbers have declined after he was busted for PED usage.
Most would argue that Shohei Ohtani is the game’s best player right now, not Tatis. Others might argue that Soto himself should hold the title. The Mets are certainly paying him like he is.
