PEORIA, Ariz. —
A smile. A giggle. Then a shrug.
And “Why not?”
That is the response from Fernando Tatis Jr. to the question of how he thinks he will avoid slipping into a sophomore slump.
There is more to it, certainly. Even a ballplayer gifted at birth with abilities most will never possess has to figure out how to effectively hit the low breaking ball and otherwise keep up with the almost-daily cat and mouse between hitters and pitchers.
“It’s going to be hard,” Tatis acknowledged this week. “The big leagues aren’t easy at all.