Back on April 13, the benches cleared during a tense divisional game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. Dodgers reliever Gavin Stone threw inside with Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar at the plate, and Profar assumed at the time Stone tried to throw at him.
Following the game, Profar realized that Stone wasn't trying to throw at him. Still, Dodgers catcher Will Smith said, “I don’t know why we would have thrown at him. He’s kind of irrelevant."
Tuesday, Smith and Profar teamed up to play for the National League at the MLB All-Star Game. Since that game, Profar has proven he is far from "irrelevant," making his first career All-Star team after putting together his best season yet.
Smith apologized for calling Profar irrelevant earlier this week. “That had nothing to do with it,” Smith said of Profar’s accomplishments as a player, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “It was the situation only. My bad. It was nothing personal. … He’s fiery, plays hard. He’s a competitor. In competition, the best and worst comes out of us. He’s a competitor and a good player.”
Profar is slashing a career-high .305/.394/.476 with 14 home runs and 59 RBIs in his first full season with the Padres. His batting average ranks ninth in MLB, and he is 16th in hits this season.
Prior to the 2024 season, Profar remained a free agent until Feb, 12, when he re-signed with San Diego on a one-year deal worth $1 million. He wasn't irrelevant, but he was certainly undervalued by the league. Not only did Profar remain unsigned until near the start of spring training, but he is one of the lowest paid MLB All-Stars. After his career year, Profar should no longer be overlooked and underpaid come this fall.
