The Padres are currently going at a moderate pace, ranking third in the NL West with an 8-6 record. However, they are yet to get any notable contributions from their power hitter, Fernando Tatis Jr. Even though, by almost every advanced metric, Fernando Tatis Jr. is having a great season. There’s just one problem: none of his hard-hit balls are turning into hits, and he’s blaming a higher power.

Tatis is currently standing with a .189 batting average and 0 home runs. But while the stats look like Tatis is struggling at the plate, the reality is the opposite. Tatis has hit 24 balls with an exit velocity of 95+ MPH till now. That is incredible, but not a single one went beyond the fence. The 27-year-old outfielder blamed “baseball gods.”

“Obviously, we want better numbers or whatever, but I’ve been playing some good baseball, playing defense,” Tatis said. “Offense, hitting the ball hard to every part of the field, but it looks like the baseball gods are really mad at me right now. It’s alright, I’ll take it. We’ve got five more months of baseball. I’m ready for it, I’m really prepared, and I have all the confidence in the world that it’s going to turn around.”

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Well, apart from Tatis, a few other marquee names are reeling under early-season blues. For instance, Bo Bichette is struggling, not just with his .228 batting average or .525 OPS, but also with the fact that he’s not providing the offensive spark the Mets need from him. Pete Alonso is batting under .200 right now. However, what’s unique about Tatis is how much he is hitting.

Coming off the WBC, Tatis scored 2 homers at .400, and in the regular season, his exit velocity is incredible, but those were not converted to runs. Hence, we might also agree with Tatis that the baseball gods are against the Padres hitter.

Despite hitting 24 balls till now, Tatis is in the 99th percentile for hard-hit percentage so far this season. Moreover, he is in the 90th percentile for average exit velocity. Tatis’ fly ball rate currently sits under 17 percent, and that’s below his career 23.2 percent.

However, just as Tatis is struggling to put runs on the board, his tainted past is coming back to haunt him. “Does he have any cream for his ringworm left? That might get him back on track,” one fan remarked. Tatis was suspended for testing positive for PEDs in 2022, and his 2021 season was evidently the best in his career. He scored 42 HRs in 2021, which averaged around 23 till last year.

So, the more time Tatis takes to get back his power, the more questions will be raised. But apart from Tatis, the Padres’ entire offense is scaring the fans.

Fernando Tatis’ underperformance is affecting the entire Padres offense

Call the Padres’ offense struggling or unlucky, but they have yet to showcase enough firepower this year.

In the first seven games, the Padres scored more than 3 runs in just one game. Similar to how he views his own struggles, Tatis thinks the Padres are just unlucky with their lineup. “Luck,” said Fernando Tatis Jr., “has abandoned us.”

Till 4th April, the Padres’ .202 team batting average was 49 points lower than their expected batting average (.251). That’s the biggest gap in the league. It also proves how the team’s lineup is failing as a whole. Currently, the team is ranked 25th in terms of average (.213). Luis Campusano is the only hitter who has a .300+ average, which says a lot.

On the other hand, it is their defense that has contributed the most to winning eight games till now. The Padres are currently ranked 8th in terms of ERA (3.40), and Nick Pivetta leads the rotation with 20 SOs. But surely, only their defense can’t win them games with still about 150 games left.

If names like Fernando Tatis Jr., Ramon Laureano, and Jake Cronenworth still struggle to ignite the top of the lineup, the team batting average will rank near the bottom of MLB for now. That’s something the fans would not accept after finishing second in the division last year.