It had to be an odd feeling for Jurickson Profar. A 10 year MLB veteran who has made nearly $36 million during his career, Profar, only 31, looked to be out of a job this season. It wasn’t until February 24th with spring training already underway that an agreement was reached with the San Diego Padres on a frugal one year contract. As it turns out, Profar rewarded the Friars with his best season ever, and will start in left field for the National League All-Star team on Tuesday, July 16th at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
This will be the first time that Jurickson Profar has been selected to play in the mid-season classic and ironically, in the city where the Curacao native broke in the major leagues with the Texas Rangers in 2014. The numbers show that Profar is most deserving of the honor. He’s hitting over .300 in nearly 340 at bats, with 14 bombs, 59 RBI’s, an .871 OPS and several stolen bases. His outfield play has been superior, but has also filled in at first and second base. Still, being selected as an all-star is a popularity contest of sorts, so Jurickson’s six year old son Khairy prepared a statement that was aired at Petco Park and on Padres TV.
“Please vote for my dad,” pleads Khairy, who has perfected a bat flip. “You can vote for him five times a day!”
Profar himself was a childhood standout, leading his Pabao, Curacao team to a LLWS championship in 2004 as an 11 year old. And at age 16, he was a top pick in the international draft by the Texas Rangers. By 2013, Profar was promoted to the varsity and was expected to be the team’s starting second baseman for the future. However, Jurickson would miss the following next two season with a severe shoulder injury that would require surgery. The recovery was slow, although by 2018, he played in 146 games with substantial offensive success.
But that winter, Profar was involved in a three way trade that would send him to the Oakland A’s. From there he would bounce around between two stints with the Padres and a season with the Colorado Rockies, where he was released in 2023. That said, Jurickson was always a fan favorite in San Diego and a huge asset in the clubhouse. So it was the players themselves who lobbied for Profar’s return, and it worked out perfectly.
“I love it here in San Diego and just grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the team,” says Profar, who speaks five different languages fluently.
And when asked how his son Khairy reacted to the all-star selection, Profar broke out in laughter.
“He loves baseball so much, and I know he’s going to have fun running around on the field and watching the Home Run Derby,” noted Jurickson. “I’m happy for him and he helped me a lot.”
Of course, it’s clear that Jurickson Profar has helped the Padres. With all the injuries on this club, he’s been the glue who has held things together, keeping San Diego in the wild card hunt at the season’s halfway point.
All totaled, the Padres will have five players on the NL roster, including Profar, Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., rookie Jackson Merrill and bullpen closer Robert Suarez.