![\"Ty](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SUT-L-padres-0328-015.jpg\")
Ty France #4 of the San Diego Padres blows a bubble during the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Petco Park on Friday, March 27, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\nTy France was drafted by the Padres out of San Diego State in the 34th round of the 2015 draft. He made his MLB debut in 2019, shuttling between the minors and majors before a 2020 deadline trade sent him to the Seattle Mariners.<\/p>\n
France flourished in Seattle, earning his first All-Star selection in 2022 and helping the club reach the postseason that same year. In 2024, he was traded at the deadline to the Cincinnati Reds, then signed with the Minnesota Twins the next season. Another deadline deal sent him to the Toronto Blue Jays, where he was part of a World Series run last year.<\/p>\n
The West Covina native signed a minor-league deal with the Padres in February before pushing his way onto the roster. He has emerged as an early-season spark, delivering timely hits in key moments despite limited at-bats.<\/p>\n
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n
Were you good at baseball from the start?<\/p>\n
A: I would say so. I started playing baseball when I was around 2 years old, and it took over my life. I played other sports too. Football, a little basketball. But baseball was always, I guess you\u2019d say, my calling. I just kind of fell in love with it right away and never looked back.<\/p>\n
Did you grow up a Dodgers fan?<\/p>\n
A: No, I grew up more of an Angels fan. The majority of my family were Dodger fans. My aunt, her boss at the time had season tickets to the Angels, so they gave us tickets all the time. That was the 2002 era when they won the World Series. It was a lot of fun.<\/p>\n
Ty France #4 of the San Diego Padres blows a bubble during the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Petco Park on Friday, March 27, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
You played for Tony Gwynn at SDSU. What lessons do you still carry with you today?<\/p>\n
A: He was so good at baseball and life. Just simplifying things, making things not seem as big as they need to be, which really helps on and off the baseball field. We can make things harder than we need to. He did a very good job of helping us understand: Basically, don\u2019t sweat the little things.<\/p>\n
What was it like to be drafted by the team down the road from where you grew up and the organization in which Gwynn cemented his legacy?<\/p>\n
A: It was really special. That whole draft process was very confusing and not the most ideal. It obviously ended up working out, but it was a hectic three-day process. I\u2019m very grateful for where I landed and thankful for the Padres organization for taking a chance on me. But it was, at the time, frustrating for how long I had to wait. But it all worked out.<\/p>\n
Did you expect to go in an earlier round?<\/p>\n
A: My agent at the time, he had me projected (going) anywhere in Rounds 3 to 7. I think Day 1 was Rounds 1 and 2. So I knew I wasn\u2019t gonna go Day 1 and expected a phone call (on) Day 2, and never got it. And then Day 3, just round after round, kept getting passed by. At one point, I was like, \u2018OK, I\u2019m gonna go back (to SDSU) and play my senior year.\u2019 And that\u2019s when I got the call in the 34th round by the Padres.<\/p>\n
I remember when you were first coming up with the Padres, you were blocked by Manny Machado at third base and Eric Hosmer at first base. What do you remember thinking at the time about your role inside the organization?\u00a0<\/p>\n
A: Yes, I was blocked, but at the same time, getting to learn from guys like Manny and \u2018Hos,\u2019 that knowledge you can\u2019t replace. \u2018Hos\u2019 was very vocal, and he\u2019d say, \u2018Hey, try this, do this, do this,\u2019 which I still use in my game at first base. Manny, it was more so just watching how he worked. He\u2019s so good at what he does and how he goes about his process and his work. I learned a lot without even having to talk to him. Just watching. He\u2019s one of the best third basemen in the game and he\u2019s been doing it for a long time. So yeah, obviously you want to come in and you want to start. You want to be the guy. But early in my career, looking at it now, I\u2019m very grateful for that.<\/p>\n
In 2020, you were traded to the Mariners at the deadline. What was that day like, and did you see the trade coming at all?<\/p>\n
A: Chaotic, for sure. I didn\u2019t think it was coming. We were in Colorado. It was during the COVID year. We had a Sunday day game to a Monday night game there. So after the Sunday day game, we did our team fantasy football draft. I think we were in, like, the sixth round of the team draft when Jayce (Tingler) tapped me on the shoulder and said, \u2018Hey, can you come to my room? AJ (Preller) wants to talk to you.\u2019 We went up to his room, and that\u2019s when AJ let me know I was traded to Seattle. So I got traded during the fantasy draft.<\/p>\n
You excelled in Seattle. What was unlocked for you there?\u00a0<\/p>\n
A: It was just the opportunity, getting that chance to establish yourself as an everyday guy. They told me from the very beginning, \u2018Hey, this is your job to lose. Go out and be yourself and enjoy it.\u2019 And that\u2019s exactly what I did. You know, it was hard. It was hard leaving San Diego, because you always envision yourself being with one team your whole career. Is that likely? No. But being that I went to San Diego State and was drafted by the Padres, that\u2019s what I was hopeful for. But very, very grateful for the Mariners organization giving me that opportunity because I was able to establish myself. And here we are, seven years later.<\/p>\n
Your production dropped in your final years in Seattle. They put you on waivers, then traded you to the Reds, and a few months later, you elected free agency. How would you characterize that stretch and what was going on offensively?\u00a0<\/p>\n
A: Yeah, there was a lot. A lot of different emotions. Just trying to figure out what was going on with my swing. Didn\u2019t feel like myself for a couple years. The longer you play in this league, the more information that gets out on you, and it\u2019s harder to hit because they know your weaknesses. You\u2019ve got to learn to cover them and cover them fast. So I tried a couple of different things in certain offseasons. Tried some stuff mechanically going into the \u201924 season. \u2026 I had three or four really, really good years and then production, like you said, dropped a little bit. So I was like, \u2018OK, how can I get back to being myself?\u2019 Tweaked some stuff that really didn\u2019t work and got lost even more as a hitter. That\u2019s when they ended up putting me on waivers and I ended up in Cincinnati. They told me when I got there, \u2018Hey, just go have fun. Go play baseball again. Go enjoy yourself.\u2019 And I did, and I enjoyed baseball again. It was a lot of fun. Elected free agency, ended up in Minnesota, and it was kind of the same thing. They said, \u2018Hey, we know it\u2019s in there still. You can still hit, so go be yourself.\u2019 And I hit, but the luck factor wasn\u2019t there as much, which plays a big role in this game. So the numbers didn\u2019t look as pretty as it felt. \u2026 Now we\u2019re back here and I feel like myself again, which is nice.<\/p>\n
How did you find your way back and how difficult is that to do as a hitter?<\/p>\n
A: It\u2019s difficult. You can very easily get lost. There\u2019s so much information out now \u2014 so much data and stuff you can review, and video. They have it all. So, it\u2019s very easy to get lost. I think of myself more as an old-school approach and style of hitting, where the more information I have, the more lost I get. So it was a lot of, \u2018Hey, let\u2019s simplify things. Let\u2019s get back to feelings. What do you feel in the box? How is your body moving in the box?\u2019 And that\u2019s kind of what I went off of. I think that helped a lot.<\/p>\n
![\"Ty](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LDN-L-DODGERS-0809-KB51.jpg\")
Ty France #2 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second inning during a baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News\/ SCNG)<\/p>\n
The Twins traded you to the Blue Jays at the deadline. What kind of chaos was that for you and your wife, to be traded to Canada?\u00a0<\/p>\n
A: I definitely wasn\u2019t expecting that. They have a phenomenal first baseman over there (Vladimir Guerrero Jr.), so when they told me Toronto, I was very caught off guard, as was my wife. We did the best we could. We made it work. I have to give her a lot of the credit. When you get traded, you have to be there the next day. And, you know, we had a whole house to pack up. We have a 2-year-old and two dogs. There\u2019s a lot behind the scenes that goes on that the general public doesn\u2019t see. Without her and what she does, I wouldn\u2019t be able to do this.<\/p>\n
You got to experience a World Series run. What will you take from that for the rest of your career?<\/p>\n
A: Honestly, a lot. There was so much good that came from the trade. One, the group of guys that I experienced that with \u2014 that was such a good group and we were all so close. From the second I got there, they brought me in and made me one of their own. And getting the opportunity to play for an entire country, that was so cool. To show how passionate and how much they cared, it made you want to perform even better. And then getting the opportunity to play in the World Series; again, it was in L.A., so that was home for me. I got to experience my first All-Star Game and first World Series in L.A., which was really special. Obviously, didn\u2019t end the way we would have hoped, but just the fact that we got to experience that was really cool.<\/p>\n
Does a hit and an RBI in the World Series feel the same as in a regular game?<\/p>\n
A: It all happens so fast. And while you\u2019re going through it, it\u2019s such a grind. Like, the travel and everything; just the emotions that go into playing a World Series game. Everything. It\u2019s exhausting. You don\u2019t get the chance to really appreciate it until it\u2019s over.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve been with a handful of different teams now and you\u2019ve become accustomed to fighting for a roster spot out of spring training. How battle-tested are you with change and with fighting for yourself?<\/p>\n
A: I was very fortunate in Seattle, where, you know, I put myself in a position to where I was an everyday guy. I don\u2019t want to say I didn\u2019t have to fight for a job, and I don\u2019t even want to say I was complacent, because I worked still. But I used spring training to get ready for that season, rather than to come in and compete and fight right out of the gate. So these last two spring trainings put the game in perspective for me \u2014 where if you do lose that edge, (the game) can be taken from you. So now it\u2019s like, \u2018Hey, I\u2019m coming out here every day, competing for a job and doing whatever I can to help the team.\u2019<\/p>\n
![\"San](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/OCR-L-ANGELS-0418-KB22.jpg\")
San Diego Padres first baseman Ty France catches a foul ball hit by the Angels\u2019 Jo Adell (not pictured) during the seventh inning on Friday, April 17, 2026, at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News\/SCNG)<\/p>\n
What does it mean to you to not only be back with the Padres, but to be producing and making an impact?<\/p>\n
A: It\u2019s great to be back here. Like I said earlier, you envision yourself playing for one team your entire career and, you know, we\u2019re back. To be able to help the group \u2014 this is such a talented roster and such a good team \u2014 to be able to contribute, it means a lot. And I\u2019m gonna continue to fight and do what I can to help.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re not playing every day, but you do a good job of making the most of your opportunities. What has worked for you to be successful in that role?<\/p>\n
A: I think younger Ty would have been annoyed by this answer, but trusting the process and trusting the work that you put in pre-game. There was a stretch where I didn\u2019t play for a week, so just that whole, \u2018treating practice like the game as best as you can\u2019 and doing what you can to put yourself in a competitive environment to be ready for the game, I\u2019ve taken a lot of pride in that. And even on the defensive side, doing what I can. Taking ground balls at first, third, just trying to stay athletic and ready when I\u2019m put in the lineup and it\u2019s my turn to do a job.<\/p>\n
Where do you think you\u2019ve grown the most since younger Ty was with the Padres and now more mature Ty is here?<\/p>\n
A: Mentally, for sure. Before, which I still think I do this, but like, I used to just show up and play. There was no thought of, \u2018Hey, I need to work on this. I need to practice this.\u2019 It was just, \u2018Go, get your swings in the cage, take your ground balls, go compete.\u2019 Which I still think I do, but now there\u2019s a little bit more thought and intent behind the early work that goes on. I think that\u2019s one of the areas that I\u2019ve matured the most.<\/p>\n
Your natural position is third base. What went into learning first base, and how did it feel to win a Gold Glove and be rewarded for that?<\/p>\n
A: There\u2019s a lot that goes into it, honestly. I was a third baseman. I was traded to Seattle to take over third base when Kyle Seager retired. And then in \u201921, Evan White tore his hip labrum and they asked me, \u2018Hey, can you go cover first for him until he gets back?\u2019 I was like, \u2018Yeah, no problem.\u2019 And I kind of just fell in love with the position. Really enjoyed everything that goes on with first base. I know I\u2019m not the prototypical 6-foot-4, 50-home run first baseman, but I took a lot of pride in my work over there. And it really helped playing third base, because I know how much it meant to have a really good first baseman. It made my life at third a lot easier when I knew that no matter where I threw the ball, they were going to catch it. So now switching over to first, I do everything in my power to help these guys when they throw the ball to understand that it\u2019s going to be caught and feel confident in that. It was definitely a journey to get to the Gold Glove. I won the Gold Glove last year. The year before, if you want to go off analytics and metrics and all that, I was metrically the worst first baseman in the league. So, trying to figure out how can I be a better metric first baseman, and how can I be the best first baseman for my group? I went to Minnesota and I have to give those guys a lot of credit. They really did a deep dive on what aspects I was lacking in, where I can get better, and really hammered that out. And it worked.<\/p>\n
Says a lot about you that you truly wanted to improve. \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
A: I mean, my whole life, it\u2019s always been, \u2018Oh, he can hit, he can hit, but we don\u2019t know where he\u2019s going to play.\u2019 So it was kind of a little jab back at everyone else. Like, \u2018Hey, I can play first.\u2019<\/p>\n
I love a little jab back at everyone. You and your wife have a son, Luka, who is two years old. What is dad life like for you?\u00a0<\/p>\n
A: It\u2019s the best. He\u2019s an incredible baby \u2014 toddler now. I shouldn\u2019t even say baby anymore. It\u2019s go-go-go all day, as soon as his feet hit the floor in the morning. Fortunately, he\u2019s still taking naps, so we get a couple-hour stretch during the day. But his personality has really grown a lot. He\u2019s picking up the baseball bat now and wanting to take swings, stuff like that. So it\u2019s been a joy. I\u2019m very, very blessed to have him.<\/p>\n
And now you and your wife are expecting twins. What was your reaction when you heard that?<\/p>\n
A: It was definitely a shock. Exciting, you know. We\u2019ve always talked about having three or four kids, so now we\u2019ll have three. We went in and we were very caught off guard that there\u2019s two in there, but very excited for it. It\u2019s gonna be great.<\/p>\n
One thing on your bucket list?\u00a0<\/p>\n
A: I still feel like there\u2019s a good bit of traveling I\u2019d like to do. I would like to cage dive with great white (sharks) in Australia. I think that would be really cool. There\u2019s gotta be a cage, though.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ty France was drafted by the Padres out of San Diego State in the 34th round of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12890,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5,981,2614,2615,7,9631],"class_list":{"0":"post-12889","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-france","8":"tag-france","9":"tag-latest-headlines","10":"tag-mlb","11":"tag-san-diego-padres","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-top-stories-sdut"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12889\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}