Profar, Tatis elected as All-Star starters
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The 2024 National League All-Star outfield has a San Diego feel to it.
Jurickson Profar and Fernando Tatis Jr. were named as starting outfielders on Wednesday, as Major League Baseball announced the results of its All-Star voting. Fellow Padres finalists Luis Arraez and Manny Machado were bested by Arizona's Ketel Marte at second base and Philadelphia's Alec Bohm at third.
Tatis, who is on the injured list with a stress reaction in the femur bone in his right leg, is unlikely to play in the 2024 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard on July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
For Profar, however, it's a full-circle moment. The onetime Rangers top prospect broke through in the big leagues with Texas as a 19-year-old in 2012. It took far longer than expected for Profar to blossom into an All-Star. But he found a home with the Padres and, at 31, has reached his first All-Star Game -- in Texas, of all places.
"That's why I kept working," Profar said. "I could’ve been rich and just be whatever, living on an island. ... But I kept working, and it's paying off."
Entering Wednesday, Profar led all qualifying NL outfielders in batting average (.311), on-base percentage (.404) and fWAR (2.7). He ranked second in slugging percentage (.472). He will join two Hall of Famers -- Dave Winfield and Tony Gwynn -- as the only Padres outfielders to start an All-Star Game.
Tatis, meanwhile, will have to wait to join that group. He caught fire in June, batting .365 with a 1.062 OPS, cementing his case as an All-Star. But he landed on the injured list last week, after he played through the injury for most of the first half.
Tatis expressed optimism that he could return soon after the All-Star break. That timeline would rule him out for the Midsummer Classic. Still, it's a notable achievement for Tatis, now a two-time All-Star after he started the game at shortstop in 2021.
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For now, Tatis can settle for watching one of his closest friends play his first Midsummer Classic. Last month, Tatis laid out the case for Profar to be an All-Star:
"He totally deserves it, as simple as that," Tatis said. "The guy's been one of the best players in the game this year. He has been the best player for the Padres so far. He definitely deserves to be an All-Star. The man has put the work in, and I'm just happy for him."
Earlier this season, Profar was asked about his desire to return to Texas for the Midsummer Classic. He deflected. It wouldn't mean nearly as much to him, Profar said, as it would mean for his baseball-obsessed son, Khairy, who was born in Dallas.
"One of my dreams since he was born was to be at an All-Star Game," Profar said. "He loves baseball so much. He's always watching the Home Run Derby while I'm like, 'Nah, I don't want to watch baseball during the All-Star break.' But he wants to watch it. He's always talking about baseball. So that's why it would mean a lot."
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Sure enough, Khairy will be returning to Texas. So is the elder Profar, who remembers his time with the Rangers fondly -- but also a bit ruefully. He dealt with injuries early in his career. Then his path to playing time was blocked by a veteran infield. In 2018, he broke out but then was traded to Oakland.
In San Diego, Profar is now at the center of everything -- fiery, energetic, beloved by his teammates and often a show unto himself. In Texas …
“They didn’t get to see anything,” Profar said. "I didn't really get a real chance [to put on a show]. I started to in 2018, and then I got traded."
Six years later, Profar will be back in Texas, bringing his show to one of the sport’s biggest stages.