A-Rod wants his ‘stupidity’ to be a lesson for Fernando Tatis Jr., young players

San Diego Padres slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. is under scrutiny for his PED suspension. Former player Alex Rodriguez wants to lead by example for what Tatis shouldn’t do.

San Diego Padres slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. was just about to make his 2022 debut after missing the season to this point with an injury, and then a PED suspension took him out for the rest of the year and the start of next. The 23-year-old’s mistake has garnered many opinions, including that of former MLB legend Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod).

A-Rod stated that he “hopes the young players that [he] admires learn from [his] stupidity and debacle.” He also stated it’s heartbreaking that Tatis may not make it into the Hall of Fame because of his mistakes.

Rodriguez, of course, was referring to his own 162-game suspension in 2014 for PED use, though he did not test positive but, rather, admitted to usage and was suspended following an investigation.

Tatis’ future seemed bright before news broke of his suspension. Luckily, he has many years ahead to correct his mistakes.

Padres start Fernando Tatis Jr. had a bright future ahead of him

Tatis led the Padres for quite some time in his first few MLB seasons. He made his MLB debut in 2019 and was known as a power hitter. He had his best season in 2021 and hit .282/.364/.611 for an OPS of .975.

Tatis is comparable to A-Rod but has been more consistent in his early career. Over his entire 22-season career, A-Rod hit .295/.380/.550 for an OPS of .930. He earned a very lengthy amount of awards, which included 17 Player of the Year awards.

Tatis has the potential to follow in his footsteps, but he’d lose a lot of respect and credibility if he continues using PEDs. He’s just starting his career and has time to turn himself around, and hopefully, he’ll utilize it.