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As the San Diego Padres head into the 2025 season, plenty of expectation will once again be on outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. On his day, the 26-year-old is one of the deadliest hitters in the majors, and his teammates look to him to provide plenty of spark as the Padres aim to go toe to toe with bitter rivals Los Angeles Dodgers.
Looking forward to the long campaign ahead, Fernando Tatis Jr. shared a series of images on Instagram on Wednesday. The Dominican hitter shed some light on his focused mindset.
"Narrow Path. Focused Mind." Fernando Tatis Jr. captioned his Instagram post
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Reacting to Tatis' post, Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez commented with a set of emojis, wishing his compatriot the best.
With Rodriguez (24) and Tatis Jr. (26) being quite close to each other in age, it appears they share quite a good friendship with each other. The pair have often been spotted interacting with each other on social media.
Fernando Tatis Jr. and Julio Rodriguez look to enjoy successful seasons in 2025
Fernando Tatis Jr. enjoyed a strong 2024, finishing with a .276 batting average, 21 home runs and 49 RBIs, despite missing a large chunk of the season with injury.
The hitter played a key role in helping his team make the playoffs, finishing top of the NL wildcard. However, the Friars' season ended in hugely disappointing fashion, as they were knocked out in the NLDS by eventual World Series winners Los Angeles Dodgers.
Looking to get one back over their rivals in 2025, the Padres have got their season off to their best start in franchise history, winning six games without losing any.
Julio Rodriguez, meanwhile, endured a tough season in terms of offensive production. Struggling for consistency at the plate, the 24-year-old finished with a .273 batting average, 20 home runs and 68 RBIs, as the Mariners missed the playoffs to a resurgent Houston Astros.
With two wins and three losses in 2025, Rodriguez and the Mariners haven't enjoyed the best start to the new season. But the way they missed winning their division last season will have taught them that finishing strong matters much more than starting that way.
