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Padres Veteran Proving How Relevant He Can Be

In a season full of surprises for the San Diego Padres, Jurickson Profar‘s incredible performance has been a welcome one. The 11-year veteran has established himself as a serviceable utilityman through tenures with the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, and two with the Padres. In San Diego, Profar has always been a fan favorite, despite his struggles at the plate. Now back with the team for the second time, he’s been given the chance to pay back the fans with a career year. The former #1 prospect never flowered into his full potential, but this year he’s reminding us it’s never too late. He is leading a stacked Padres outfield that remains the team’s greatest strength.

Padres’ Jurickson Profar Proving How Relevant He Can Be

As the Padres entered the 2023 offseason, they were in desperate need of outfield help. Profar spent the last month of the 2023 season with the Padres after being released from the Colorado Rockies. So, it became a no-brainer. Profar signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the Padres on February 12. Since then, he’s been anything but a million-dollar player. Profar leads San Diego with a .317/.410/.488 line, 54 RBI, and is third on the team with 11 home runs.

Here’s how that ranks league-wide: His .410 on-base percentage is first in the National League, his batting average second, slugging tied for ninth. Profar’s OPS of .898 and his 54 RBI are fifth, 89 hits sixth, and 41 walks seventh. There’s more: during the season, he has had five separate hit streaks that equaled or surpassed six games. This includes a season-high 12 games from May 11 to May 22 and his current streak of nine from June 16 to June 25. Oh, and the veteran looks to be a lock to start in the All-Star Game on July 16 in what would be his first All-Star selection.

Why the Sudden Success?

This level of success out of Profar, although unprecedented, has been a long time coming. Throughout his career, the switch-hitter has been firmly in the top percentiles in MLB in walk, strikeout, whiff, and chase rate. The Curaçaoan had never quite translated his good eye to success with the bat. He showed flashes by hitting .295 in 14 games with the Friars in 2023, but never put it all together until this year. Well, this season he’s been playing with a fire unlike any year in his career. It’s hard to tell what started that fire, but it’s easy to see what has kept it burning bright.

In the first 17 games of the season, Profar hit safely in 13 of them. During that 17th game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he took exception to an up-and-in fastball from Gavin Stone. Following the game, Dodgers catcher Will Smith commented on the pitch and resulting skirmish, calling Profar “kind of irrelevant.” The following game, Profar cleared the bases with what would eventually become the game-winning double in the top of the 7th.

Pro in the Clutch

Since that game, “El Patron” has been the most clutch hitter in MLB. Profar is batting an absurd .467/.561/.717 in high-leverage situations, with 27 RBI. With runners in scoring position, he has posted a staggering .367/.437/.567 and 37 RBI. He’s 5-for-5 with the bases loaded, with 17 RBI and one home run.

On Monday night, the Padres were fighting to stay alive in the bottom of the 10th inning, after the Nationals plated three in the top half. With two runs in for the Padres, and two on and two out, the Nationals decided to intentionally walk Luis Arráez, another recent acquisition by San Diego. They would face Jurickson Profar with the bases loaded. Mr. Relevant took a 2-2 pitch from Hunter Harvey into the gap in right-center, scoring two to walk it off. Immediately after touching first, Profar ran towards the Nationals dugout, voicing his displeasure with the decision.

Slam Diego

The story continued on Tuesday night, where before the veteran even stepped up to the plate, the benches cleared. Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz appeared to initiate a confrontation with Profar, and Padres third baseman Manny Machado got involved. After tempers flared and settled, both sides were warned and it was back to the game. The first pitch to Profar, a 98 MPH fastball from Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore, a former Padre sent to the Nationals in the Juan Soto trade, hit the left fielder in the leg. Tensions were high, and Padres manager Mike Shildt was ejected after voicing his displeasure that Gore was not. It would be Machado who responded on the very next pitch with a two-run blast, setting off an exuberant Petco Park.

Later in the game, it would be Profar digging in with the bases loaded once again. On a 2-0 cutter from Derek Law, Profar unloaded and launched a 107.3 MPH, 353-foot grand slam that wrapped around the foul pole. He savored every moment of that home run trot, all while being serenaded with MVP chants from the Friar Faithful. Maybe the lesson is; if you’re a catcher, leave Jurickson Profar alone.

Home in San Diego

In his second stint with the Padres, Jurickson Profar is showing his worth. The journeyman had done his fair share around the league, but never had a home quite like San Diego. Without a doubt, the best season of his long career couldn’t have come at a better time. He is putting together a near-MVP level season, keeping the Padres in the postseason race and hoping to spread his fire to the rest of the team. His hitting has been invaluable with names like Xander Bogaerts still sidelined. While the Padres are still on the fence about buying or selling next month, Profar is one name they’ll want to hold onto. The once-top prospect finally coming to form proves, once again, that there’s no place like home.

 

Photo Credit: © Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Zethan Moss

Zethan Moss

Zethan is a longtime and avid baseball fan. The San Diego native and recent college graduate has been a Padres fan since birth, and plans to pursue a career in sports writing and broadcasting.

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