Andrew Rizzo San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. is known as one of the most fashion-forward MLB athletes, and his taste in baseball cleats lives up to the bill. As ballparks throughout the league open their doors, Tatis, The Shoe Surgeon, and athlete marketing platform Xample announce plans to create over 50 custom cleats for the 2024 season – marked by a special opening day pair.
When Tatis took the field on March 28th against the San Fransisco Giants, he did do in custom Air Jordan 1 cleats that tribute beloved Padres owner Peter Seidler, who passed away in November of last year. Fittingly, the cleats feature images of the late Padres owner on both the lateral and medial sides, engraved into the leather to symbolize Seidler’s everlasting impact on Tatis’ life and career. Seidler’s memorable quote about Tatis, “I BELIEVE IN HIM,” appears prominently on the heel, complemented by his signature alongside palm trees up near the collar. The rest of the cleat wears more engravings a la “Laser” Nike designs with various patterns dispersed throughout, the most notable relying on the Padres’ interlocking “SD” logo for a houndstooth-like array.
While Tatis has shown fondness for Jordan Brand baseball cleats in recent seasons, he’s actually a sneaker free agent at the time of this writing. The athlete’s partnership with The Shoe Surgeon and Xample isn’t confined to Jordan cleats specifically, so it will be interesting to see whether or not they delve outside the Jumpman umbrella as the season rolls on.
In more baseball related footwear news, check out Tim Anderson’s Nike Alpha Huarache NXT cleat.
