Fernando Tatis Jr. showed off a Rawlings glove and Nike / Jordan cleats in a recent IG post, and though nothing is official, that’s probably what we’ll see on-field in 2023.
No longer with adidas and Mizuno after a nightmare 2022 which included multiple motorcycle accidents and a PED suspension, Tatis has landed with baseball’s juggernaut brands: Rawlings gloves and Nike footwear.
Tatis showed off a Rawlings PRO303 glove in camel with brown laces, the most popular outfield glove in baseball, and that jives with what we learned from Bob Melvin today about Tatis’ 2023 defensive position. He’ll be heading to right field with Soto in left and Gold Glover Trent Grisham in center.
The spotlight on Tatis becomes slightly dimmer with a shift to the less glamorous right field position, but just imagine Tatis robbing a home run with the dreads fully extended. We know he’s got hops so the highlight reel potential is enormous.
I predict he’ll stay with the Rawlings PRO303 glove because its most similar to his infield glove, but if he’s with Nike now, what cleats will he wear? The Jordan 1s pictured are iconic but my feeling is they’ll play too stiff for Tatis’ gymnastic mobility. He wore adidas Afterburners in the past, and the best comp for those might be these new Alpha Huarache Elite 4 NRG’s below:
They match the Padres’ colors well, too. Maybe we’ll see these in Spring with player exclusives to follow. These are $100 at Dick’s if you wanna beat Tatis to the punch.
What do you think about this monumental switch?
also, check out Shohei Ohtani now rocking a New Balance glove in Tan & Black
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