The San Diego Padres beat the Atlanta Braves 7-4 on Thursday to kick off the season on a positive note. It was a playoff rematch from last year as the Padres kn

Like most position-player stars, Tatis can shine in any lineup spot, but he’s been extra-good at leadoff. He had a .309 batting average, .374 on-base rate and .599 slugging percentage in 161 starts entering Thursday. It’s rare for a hitter to acknowledge he’s locked in after just one game. Then again, a lot of work preceded that one game.

The San Diego Padres faced a challenging offseason for a second year in a row, as trade rumors swirled and key players like Jurickson Profar and Ha-Seong Kim departed in free agency. But it is important to remember how much talent this roster still possesses.