In 2013, the consensus number one prospect in all of MLB was Jurickson Profar. The switch-hitting shortstop for the Texas Rangers was turning heads with his elite combination of power, speed and defense.
It’s hard to forget the miraculous year that Profar had in 2024 with the San Diego Padres. Unfortunately, that season is stained by the PED suspension that caused Profar to miss 80 games last year.
Yesterday came news that Profar tested positive for PED usage for the second time in as many years. This
forfeits the $15 million he’s owed by the Atlanta Braves for the 2026 year and keeps him out of MLB until 2027.
So what happened to Jurickson Profar? How did the former number one prospect fall so far from grace?
It’s not totally his fault
Injuries have wrecked Profar’s career, plaguing him since he was a prospect. In fact, right after being labeled the top prospect in the game, he was diagnosed with a shoulder injury that kept him out for both the 2014 and ‘15 seasons, halting his entrance into MLB.
Following his rehab, Profar came back for the Rangers and struggled at the big-league level. He hit .222 in three more years with Texas before being traded to the Oakland Athletics prior to the 2019 season.
Hopes of improvement in his new environment were dashed as Profar only hit .218, but it was his second consecutive season with 20-plus homers. So, when the offseason came, Profar was again on the trade block, and Oakland sent him to the Padres.
Tenure in San Diego
Profar has been more successful with the Friars than any other team, and it’s not even close. Across five years he’s hit .265/.350/.401 with 51 home runs. He was also a part of the 2022 San Diego team that made a World Series run which ended in heartbreaking fashion against the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS.
But prior to ‘24 his bat was middling at best. So, when Profar became a free agent after the ‘22 season, he signed a $7.75 million deal with the Colorado Rockies. And he performed so poorly there that the team released him (a Colorado team that only won 59 games in ‘23, by the way).
After being released, the Padres scooped him back up for the back stretch of the season where he began to flash promise, hitting .295 across 14 games.
The (besmirched) turnaround
The best year of Profar’s career, by a lot, was 2024. He was the starting left fielder in San Diego, finishing with a .280/.380/.459 slash line, mashing a career-high 24 home runs. More than that, he was an All-Star and a key piece of getting the Padres to the postseason.
After that season he was a free agent again and (due to a payroll crunch Padres’ fans know all too well) Profar left San Diego for Atlanta. The club signed him to a three-year, $42 million contract, expecting him to be their starting left fielder.
In a fun twist of fate, Profar played the first game of the ‘25 season at Petco Park, but with his new team, as the Padres faced the Braves to open the year. That would be the only action he saw for a while, with MLB handing down its 80-game suspension as opening weekend wrapped up.
After returning from his suspension, he hit at a decent .245 clip with 14 home runs across only 80 games for Atlanta. The team went into the offseason excited to finally get a full year of Profar in ‘26.
Then came the news early Tuesday morning that Profar had been suspended 162 games, forfeiting the $15 million he was owed for the season. If he is caught a third time, he’ll face a lifetime ban from MLB.
In the heat of the 2024 offseason it felt like Padres general manager A.J. Preller was dragging his feet by not re-signing Profar. And when news came that San Diego hadn’t even extended him an offer to return, fans were upset.
But looking back, it seems that this is a move the Friar Faithful can be grateful for not having made. The Braves have been forced to scramble for outfield help while the Padres have managed to figure it out without the burden of an expensive contract.
And, whether you love him or hate him, you can thank Preller for that.
