Fernando Tatis Jr.'s egregious All-Star snub may have been an unofficial punishment for his use of PEDs.
The MLB All-Star voting results have been released and, per usual, there are snubs aplenty. No fanbase is ever truly happy with the All-Star results, but few fandoms have more reason to be upset this year than supporters of the San Diego Padres.
Since returning from an 80-game suspension early in the season, Fernando Tatis Jr. has been beyond dominant. He's slashing .280/.341/.526 at the plate with 16 home runs and 41 RBIs in 64 games.
MLB players vote on All-Star reserves and the National League outfield reserves are Juan Soto, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Nick Castellanos. All fine choices — great players — but there was immediately something off about Tatis' exclusion. He's brilliant, one of the most exciting young players in the league. He's box office.
Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic may have pinpointed why the players overlooked the Padres' superstar.
Did MLB players send message to rule breakers with Fernando Tatis All-Star oversight?
Players "effectively penalized him for testing positive last season for a performance-enhancing substance," opines Rosenthal. He might have the right read on the situation.
PEDs have always invited strong reactions from fans and competitors alike. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemons are blocked from the baseball Hall of Fame based on PED suspicions. The voting body who ruled against Bonds and Clemons was made up of former players, executives, and media members.
Perhaps current players are making similar judgments against Tatis, who already missed the 2022 postseason to his suspension. Even though he didn't play for San Diego this season until April 20, Tatis has a WAR of 3.7 — tied with All-Star starter Mookie Betts and trailing only MVP favorite Ronald Acuña Jr. among NL outfielders.
Tatis led the National League in home runs in 2021. He's one of the brightest offensive forces on the planet. To add to his list of impressive attributes, Tatis has stolen 14 bases and he's playing a wholly new position in right field. His capacity for change and growth has unlocked myriad possibilities for San Diego.
The Padres are 38-46, fourth place in the competitive NL West. The rebuttal to Rosenthal's above argument is the simple fact that San Diego isn't winning games. Tatis missed time and the Padres already have one outfielder in the All-Star game. Can a team eight games below .500 really get two All-Stars together in the outfield?
The short answer is yes, when they play like Soto and Tatis have this year. It would be understandable, if a little misguided, for players to say "Only one player from the bad team." But one could argue that Soto wasn't the right Padre in that circumstance.
Odds are, players are showing their lingering resentment over Tatis' alleged cheating. Right or wrong, this could serve as a warning for future players who consider trying their hand at PEDs.