Washington Nationals news & notes: Luis García and his trip to Triple-A in August…

When discussing the club’s decision to option 23-year-old infielder Luis Garcia to Triple-A in early August, Nationals manager Davey Martinez told reporters, “Before we start talking about this… ” he said. I really think it’s a big part of our future. ”

Garcia will face tough conditions for the 23-year-old infielder, who has hit .217/.250/.301 in his past four games and is hitless in 12 at-bats over his past four games, coming off a July hit with just two RBIs. It was optioned after practice. He had a double and a home run.

“There are some consistency issues that I would like him to work on,” Martinez explained.

“We want him to be able to do that without worrying about putting up numbers. [things of] Its nature. He does many things well. We believe he can get better. So this is really about the future of him and our organization.

“I truly believe that Lewis here will help us win. I hope he will be here when we make the switch to win the next championship.”

Signed from the Dominican Republic in 2016 ($1.3 million) and debuting in the majors at age 20 in 2020, Garcia played in Triple-A in 2021 and ’22 and was the Nationals’ decision-maker once again. I decided I needed to focus on both preparation and consistency.

“He’s 23 years old,” Martinez added. “I wanted him to go back and work on some things, especially being more consistent throughout the game, preparation, routine, things of that nature. He’s got a chance to reset. As soon as he shows us he can do it, we’ll pick him up. But he’s got really great skills. Has good skills and his hands really work defensively. What we want him to get better at is using his lower body both in hitting and on the ground, so he’s there I have to work on that in the meantime.”

Martinez made it clear at the time that Garcia wasn’t the only young player he talked to about his daily routine and preparation.

Garcia’s double play partner in DC needed to tweak a few things at some point.

“Well, we talk about another young player we have now who has changed his routine in C.J. Abrams,” the Nats captain said. “And that’s helped him a lot, he’s been playing a lot better. That’s kind of what we want Lewis to do. Just routine, consistency, preparation. , he can be more consistent every day.

“This is a day-to-day job here. If you want to play here every day, you have to be ready to play every day, and that’s what we want him to learn.”

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One reporter pointed out the obvious difference that Abrams, who turned 23 earlier this month, was able to work things out at the major league level, but why was Garcia demoted to Triple-A?

“He turned things around here,” Martinez said.

“CJ turned things around here and did a really good job. A lot of that also had to do with Lewis heading in the same direction. We want to slow it down a little bit. We didn’t want to put pressure on him. Lewis takes a lot of pride in his hitting and his play. He tries to get hits and put a little pressure on him. I felt like I was there. It’s not necessarily about getting a hit. It’s about preparing, swinging the bat every day and giving yourself a chance to take good swings at the baseball, positioning, things like that.

“So we thought for Lewis, this would be the best thing for him right now. And like I said, we really believe he can help us again, but I We have to slow him down a little bit and let him recover and start small.”

A decision like the club’s can shake a young player’s confidence, but the manager thought Garcia accepted the club’s decision.

“He reacted the way I expected him to react,” Martinez said. “He was there yesterday. He was already working in the cage. Like I said, he wants to get better. He really does. He always told me he expected him to hit .300 and drive the ball. I really believe this will help him. And he is taking it the right way. And like I said, he was already there yesterday working.”

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After Garcia hit .268/.315/.381 with eight doubles and one home run in 25 games and 108 PA, the young infielder was recalled to GM Mike Rizzo. . In DC’s Sports Junkies’ weekly visit with 106.7 the FANHe explained the team’s thinking when selecting infield options.

“It was a preparation exercise,” Rizzo told Junkie. “We wanted him to go there and learn the routine and learn how to prepare for every big league game.

“He went in there and really cut down on his time in the weight room, his time in the batting cage, his time in the video room. He got in really good shape and lost a few pounds, too. That was one of the things we wanted him to work on when he got there.

“He’s worked with our hitting coordinator and hitting coaches in Triple-A and has a really good attitude there, and he’s using this as an opportunity to really understand his game in a less competitive environment.” I thought it was something like that. They did a great job there.”

Rizzo hinted at Garcia before he returned a week into September.

“We’re going to see him play second base for us every day in the big leagues in the near future, because we think he’s a big part of the future of this world. He’s only 23 years old and has been able to get a lot of at-bats at the major league level and has had some success. What we need is for him to be consistent, in his game, in his preparation, in the way he attacks. Just be consistent, major leaguer.”

When Garcia got the call again, Martinez said, “He went out there and did everything we asked him to do.”

“Looks great. He’s playing a lot better, playing hard, coming to the ballpark early, getting all his work done. Just trying to focus on one swing.”

Martinez explained at the time, before he was ejected, how Garcia’s struggles were unfolding day-to-day and even at-bat by at-bat.

“The biggest thing for him was he was changing every day. His stance at the plate, his hand position changed. So we’re still working with him to find one particular swing and work on it. , we’re going to see if we can move him forward consistently.

“But I’m proud of him. He went there and did everything we asked him to do. He’ll get a chance to play here again, at least I I definitely know against right-handed pitchers. But if he does well, we’ll keep him there, but I told him, ‘You have to be involved on every pitch, every game. ‘No,’ and we’re going to see how he’s doing.”

The captain was impressed to see Garcia make the adjustments the club wanted and took the decision to take him off as an opportunity to do the work needed.

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“It means a lot to me,” Martinez said. “I fully believe in the world [in] Lewis, I always say this, he’s still a big part of our future, but I want him to understand that he needs to do the right thing every day. He needs to play good defense even when he’s not doing well hitting. He needs to get engaged. He needs to play second base every day the way we want him to.

“But I think he understands that. He’s worked hard to get better, and hopefully that effort pays off here.”

“I can’t say I was very happy with the decision at first,” Garcia said. Quoted by MASN reporter Mark Zuckermanafter returning to the majors.

“More specifically, I don’t think I understood it. But on the drive to Scranton, [where Rochester was at the time]…I started thinking about it a little bit and realized that helping me out is also part of the game so that I can improve certain aspects of the game. And I saw it that way. And I went there to work there, and it’s a learning experience. I feel like I’ve done that, but I’m back here and trying to do what I can to do well. ”

After his return, Martinez was asked how he could stop Garcia’s press when it wasn’t going his way at the plate.

“Again, the most important thing is what’s at your feet, and I told him that. I said, ‘You can’t control your last at-bat. Right now, in this moment. You are in control of what you do, so understand that, learn from your mistakes, move forward and get better,” Martinez said.

“The biggest thing I always tell them is, [guys], “If I can do one thing every game to help my team win, then I’ll call it a successful day.” 26 If I can get people to do one thing every day, I can do more. will be able to win the match. And the great guy wants you to understand that you don’t have to play 4-on-4 to get through the day. Whether it’s a walk, a double play, or a successful bunt down. Whatever it is, if you can help our team win, that’s great and if you do that consistently, you’re going to be here for a long time. ”

Garcia finished his 23rd season with a batting average of .304/.360/.507 with five doubles and three home runs in 22 games and 75 games.