Padres teen Tatis leapfrogs to Texas League

Fernando Tatis Jr.'s stock is rising so rapidly, he's bypassing a level of the Minor Leagues. 
San Diego's No. 4 prospect will leapfrog Class A Advanced and report to Double-A San Antonio on Monday, as confirmed by Tatis and his Class A Fort Wayne manager Anthony Contreras.

"He's going to be greatly missed, but we wish him the best," Contreras said. "That's what this profession and this league is all about is getting these guys ready to move up the ranks. He definitely deserves it and I wish him all the best in Double-A."
In 117 games with the TinCaps, Tatis batted .281/.390/.520 with 69 RBIs, establishing a single-season franchise record with 21 homers. The 18-year-old surged as his first full professional season went on, batting 295/.412/.642 in 26 July games before surpassing that season best with a .370/.539/.722 line in 16 games in August.
"I think overall he was, hands down, probably the best player in this league. He can do some crazy things on both sides of the ball," Contreras said. "He's a special player that has done some remarkable things at 18 years old in this league."
On July 3, Tatis went 3-for-3 during the fifth game of an eight-game hitting streak, a day after he registered a double and inside-the-park homer.
"[Games like this] give me some real good confidence," Tatis said after the game. "This point in the season, this part is exhausting, but I feel real confident at the plate."

Tatis was the first teenager in the Midwest league to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases in a season since Clinton's Nick Franklin in 2010. The shortstop has five-tool potential with his powerful arm his best-rated tool at a 60-grade, according to MLB Pipeline's 20-to-80 scouting scale.
"He came in with a lot of expectations, but to do what he's doing this year at just 18 years old shows that he's on his way to being a five-tool player," Fort Wayne hitting coach Doug Banks said last month. "It's fun to watch a kid with the type of makeup he has put it all together. He's a strong kid and shows up to play every day and is smart in the way he goes about his business, which is why he's up there in games played in the Midwest League.
"Fernando has the ability not to get beat, even by a good pitch. When he's not right, he's the one getting himself out. And when he's on, there's not a pitcher in this league who can really get the better of him."
MLB.com's No. 58 overall prospect is the son of the former 11-year Major Leaguer. Fernando Tatis played in 949 games for the Mets, Expos, Cardinals, Rangers and Orioles and imparted knowledge on the rigors of professional ball to his son.
"My dad taught me everything on the field and off the field too," the younger Tatis said in July. "He told me that this game is going to be tough for me. It's not going to be everything easy. Not everything is how people think from the outside, that everything's good every day and all that. He taught me it's a grind every day.
"The game is fun, but at the same time, it's also hard. He told me, 'If you want to play this, you've got to keep the grind every day. You've got to keep focus and push yourself every day.'"
• Get tickets to a San Antonio Missions game »
Tatis graduates from the Midwest League as the circuit's second-leading home run hitter with its second-most RBIs, second-best on-base percentage and fourth-most hits (121).
In San Antonio, he will join the Texas League's best full-season team this year. The Missions sport a 71-53 record in 2017, a half-game better than Springfield. San Antonio won the league's South Division first-half title with a 41-29 record, and the Missions lead the division's second-half standings at 30-24. The Dominican Republic native will be part of a roster that includes San Diego's second-ranked prospect Cal Quantrill, No. 3 Luis Urías, No. 8 Eric Lauer and No. 10 Josh Naylor.