Mike Clark

Fernando Tatis Jr is hitting .242 with a 3.5° average launch angle and a career-low 20% pull rate. Everyone has ideas and analysis on how to fix Fernando Tatis Jr’s swing. It’s pretty awful and I can’t take anymore of this, I have to say something because I haven’t seen a single person give the right answer. I’ve seen multiple people talk about timing mechanisms like toe tap, stride, and leg lift in his swing mechanics that have absolutely nothing to do with his problem. That reverting to past timing mechanisms would somehow help him. THEY ARE ALL WRONG Because they’re all looking in the wrong place. This isn’t a stride problem or timing problem. It’s a tilt problem. Stride, leg lift, and toe tap are timing mechanisms. They control WHEN the hips fire not HOW the bat moves through the zone. A hitter with a Sosa leg kick and a no-stride Ichiro stance can produce identical launch angles.Timing has no lever that touches the bat at contact. What actually sets launch angle is attack angle or the vertical direction the bat is traveling at the moment it meets the ball. Swing up through the zone = ball lifts Swing flat = grounders Swing down = choppers Attack angle is the only mechanical input that matters for elevation and attack angle isn’t random. It’s a direct output of shoulder tilt. When the trail shoulder drops below the lead shoulder at contact, the entire swing axis tilts. The bat is now forced to travel upward through the zone. More tilt > steeper attack angle > higher launch angle. Period. Tatis’s attack angle tells the entire story: 2023: +12° attack angle, +1° pull-side direction/25 HRs 2024 : +10° attack angle. -2° oppo direction 21HRs in 104 games 2025: +8° attack angle, 0° direction/25 HRs, healthy 2026: +5° attack angle, −5° oppo direction His swing has flattened AND drifted away from his pull side. Both are tilt collapse. That −5° oppo attack direction is the giveaway. When you lose tilt, your bat doesn’t just flatten it also gets steered toward the opposite field, because a level swing naturally pushes the barrel away from your pull side. He’s not late. He’s not under-striding. His axis collapsed Over the last few years and it’s worse than ever this year. This explains the 20% pull air rate too. Pulling the ball in the air requires positive attack angle AND a contact point out front. (Ramon Laureanos 2025 attack Angle was +14) If you tinker with timing on a flat swing, an earlier contact point just produces a pull-side grounder. The direction changes. The launch angle does not. Let me break it down for you: Stride > Weight Shift > Hip Rotation >TILT > ATTACK ANGLE > BAT PATH > Contact > Launch Angle Stride is four steps upstream. Tilt is the gate. Attack angle is the output that actually moves the ball. So now we know what’s wrong, how do we fix him? Souza and the Padres staff need to focus on the following; 1.Restore 8–12° rear-high shoulder tilt 2.Get attack angle back to +10° to +12° with neutral or +1° pull direction 3.THEN evaluate timing tweaks 4. If someone is telling him to flatten out his swing or to let the ball travel more PLEASE STOP DOING THAT. That doesn’t work for him You cannot time your way to elevation. Fix the tilt. Attack angle returns. Pull air follows. Please watch the video to see how his swing has gotten worse and flatter. We only have bat path data starting in 2023

Hold up, pose ✨