Fernando Tatis Wants to Play Right Field Next Season for Padres

Coming off his first season where he not only played in right field but was also a Gold Glove and Platinum Glove award winner, Fernando Tatis Jr. seems to have found a home in the outfield. And he doesn't appear to be moving away from the position anytime soon.

According to Kevin Acee of The San Diego Tribune, Tatis stated that there have been conversations in the past between him and Padres general manager AJ Preller on the possibility of him moving to center field. However, Tatis said that he is a right fielder.

“I’m a right fielder,” Tatis said. “We have talked about it. A.J. gave me permission to play a little bit (of) center, a little bit (of) right. Let’s see how I’m focused later. But right now I’m a right fielder. And I’ve talked to A.J. also about the dimensions of our field, and I feel for me it’s a little bit more important to have a right fielder than a center fielder for Petco Park.”

Per Kevin Acee of The San Diego Tribune

In his first season in right field, Tatis had an incredible 29 defensive runs saved above average with 12 outfield assists.

For the majority of his career, Tatis primarily played at shortstop and was always admired for his arm strength. In last year's free agency, the Padres made a splash by signing former Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, which led to Tatis moving across the outfield.

According to Baseball Savant, Tatis's arm strength was among the league's best last year, averaging 96.6 MPH per throw from right field.

He made the transition to right field with ease, and should be manning that spot for the foreseeable future at Petco Park.