Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. Picks Team's Best Hitter — And It's a Surprise

For much of the San Diego Padres' season, their hitting production has surprisingly come from the bottom of the lineup instead of the top. This production has been led largely by two unexpected sources in Jurickson Profar and rookie Jackson Merrill.

Profar in particular has shined. After returning to the Padres in what was expected to be a limited role, Profar has become one of the team's best players.

Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. even went so far as to call Profar “our best hitter so far this year,” according to The Athletic's Dennis Lin.

Through the first day of May, Profar has hit .342 with four home runs and 21 RBIs. He ranks seventh in MLB in batting average, and first on the Padres. He is also first on the Padres with a .431 on-base percentage and .523 slugging rate. He also ranks first on the Padres with 38 hits, and second on the team with 21 RBIs behind only Jake Cronenworth, who hit a grand slam to pass Profar for the RBI lead on Wednesday.

Profar's performance has been so strong for the Padres, he was moved to the top of the lineup to replace Xander Bogaerts. Bogaerts has struggled this season, slashing .217/.284/.287 with just two home runs and 11 RBIs.

The swap paid off. Profar recorded four hits in his first game leading off the lineup. He has been especially hot this week, with back-to-back games with at least three hits, and three games this week with multiple hits.

There's no guarantee Profar will keep his spot at the top of the lineup, but he will be in a good position to do so if he keeps producing the way he has this week.

While the production of Profar has been a bright spot for the Padres this season, they still want to see more from the rest of their lineup. Top hitters like Tatis Jr., Bogaerts, and Manny Machado have hit .250 or below, while the team has instead relied on players like Profar and Merrill to keep them from falling off.