Dodgers All-Star Heaps Praise on Padres Superstar Fernando Tatis Jr.

The San Diego Padres have enjoyed an ultra-competitive first half of the season with no shortage of intense moments. Especially during the absurd 11-day stretch that saw seven matchups with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the tension has grown to new heights during the first half of 2025.

Dodgers All-Star catcher Will Smith seemed to put the divisional rivalry aside during All-Star Game festivities on Monday and spoke highly of superstar Fernando Tatis Jr.

“He’s giving 100 percent every time he goes out there, which is cool,” Smith said.

Smith also noted that despite the slump that Tatis had gone through during the month of May and a good part of June — batting just .214 during this time — when he is playing like himself, he is on another level.

“When he’s on, he’s better than anybody almost,” Smith said. “Everybody is human here. We all have slumps. We all have years we’re not performing at our best. I don’t know his stats currently, but he deserves to be here.”

Tatis has a slash line of .269/.366/.451 with an OPS of .817 and an OPS+ that ranks 28 percent better than league average at 128. He is also tied for the sixth-highest Win Probability Added score of 2.4 across the National League, a number that grades a given player's contributions on the field, combined with the context of a given game.

What sets Tatis apart other than just being an elite hitter is that he can alter the game with his defense.

Tatis has an Outs Above Average ranking of nine, grading him in the 97th percentile across baseball. He also has an Arm Strength grading in the 98th percentile across MLB, with an average throwing velocity of 95.8 mph.

As impressive as Tatis' accomplishments are, San Diego still finds themselves in the No. 2 spot in their division. Although it has been enough to secure the third and final spot in the National League Wild Card spot, Tatis and his team appear far from complacent with their current standing.

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