MLBBy Matt Clapp on

Fernando Tatis Jr. is only 21 years old, but he’s already entering the conversation for best player in the National League. The San Diego Padres’ shortstop is following up his remarkable rookie season with a tremendous start to his sophomore campaign.

On Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park, Tatis hit his fourth home run of the season, and it was an absolute bomb. Tatis sent a Ross Stripling offering 430 feet — with an exit velocity of 112.1 mph; the hardest-hit homer of his career — and bat-flipped the heck out of it.

Tatis now has a .294/.400/.647 slash line on the season, and he has already been worth 1.0 WAR according to FanGraphs (behind only the San Francisco Giants’ Mike Mike Yastrzemski, who’s at 1.1 WAR). He should be considered one of the NL MVP favorites at the moment, and he’s the main reason why the Padres are on the rise.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.

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