"Fernando Tatis Jr. soon will be the single face of baseball" - When Yankees icon Alex Rodriguez placed bold prediction on Padres superstar

Alex Rodriguez was enamored by Fernando Tatis jr. and his skillset when he entered the league in 2019. The slugger quickly showed his worth as pitchers in the big leagues did not seem to faze him.

During his rookie year, he hit .317/.379/.590 with 22 home runs and 53 runs batted in across 84 games. He would keep up this type of prowess at the plate and made his first All-Star Game in 2021.

Ahead of the All-Star Game festivities, the team over at FOX Sports could not stop talking about the fun and exciting slugger. A few on the desk, including A-Rod, believed he was on his way to being the face of the sport.

"I think he is one of the faces and soon will be the single face of baseball. Look, he's 22 years old, he's a transcended athlete and you know, some old schoolers may think, 'You know what? I don't appreciate all the swagger.' But what they have to know if you know Tatis the way we do, it comes from pure joy," said Alex Rodriguez.

A-Rod made the bold claim that Tatis would become the single face of the sport. He already viewed Tatis as one of the faces, especially with how much fun he seemingly had on the field.

However, some at the desk were hesitant to give Tatis the flowers A-Rod was giving him. Frank Thomas quickly reminded his colleagues there were also a few other superstars across the league that were changing the game.

Frank Thomas pumps the breaks after Alex Rodriguez predicts Fernando Tatis Jr. to be the sole face of baseball

San Diego Padres - Fernando Tatis Jr. (Photo via IMAGN)

Fernando Tatis Jr. was an exceptional player. He was turning heads left and right and had the San Diego Padres looking like a true contender. However, Frank Thomas argued with Alex Rodriguez that Tatis would not become the sole face of the sport.

"I like it, but I'm telling you right now, Shohei [Ohtani] is going nowhere, Mike Trout is going nowhere, Ronald Acuna Jr. is going nowhere, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has a chance to be a Triple Crown winner this year at 22 years old" said Thomas.

Thomas gave a handful of superstars like Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout who were also at the top of their game. The sport was in good hands with the level of superstars, and that has not changed four years later.