The San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles may be rivals on the field, but there is respect between the two teams.
Rather than trading hit-by pitch during this week’s MLB All-Star Festival, the team was trading tributes.
More news: Manny Machado calls ‘ Clayton Kershaw “the best.”
Manny Machado rave reviews of Clayton Kershaw as a player and teammate. Will Smith praised Fernando Tatis Jr. as one of the best players in baseball. And his own Tatis called the star The best player in baseball.
This week, when asked who the league’s top player was, Tatis gave his flowers to the shoe hei otani, laughing at the very first glance.
“I feel that’s a really obvious question, but he’s my rival and I’m not going to mention his name,” laughed Tatis. “You already know that – 17 for the Blue Team.”
Of course, Otani wears “17 for the Blue Team,” but it’s easy to see why Tatis labeled him the best player in MLB.
Otani not only leads the National League with 32 home runs and an OPS of .987, but also has a 1.00 ERA in nine innings on the mound.
Otani won back-to-back MVP awards as a two-way player in the American League in 2023 and as the ‘ designated batter last year.
More news: Paul Skenness raves ‘ Clayton Kershaw after the All-Star Game
This year, if he continues to pitch near the level he is, it’s hard for anyone to imagine him stopping him from winning a third.
Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Immagn Image
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