Luis Garcia Jr. went 4-for-4 at bat in the final game of the Nationals series against the Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon, and combined with his single in his final at-bat of Saturday’s game, he was the best in PA. He was on base for five consecutive games.
As the club noted in its postgame notes following Sunday’s 11-8 win, he is now in his last 11 in PA since hitting a pinch-hit home run in Friday’s series opener against Toronto in D.C. He was on base in nine of those hits.
Garcia Jr. has also been on base for 14 consecutive games and has hit in 13 of 14 games.
This year, the Nationals’ 23-year-old infielder is batting .337/.381/.510 with eight doubles, three home runs, and six stolen bases in six innings pitched.
“It’s obviously amazing. I’m very surprised,” Garcia said of his recent string of successes. Quoted by Mark Zuckerman of MASNafter Sunday’s game:
“But I think one of the things I’ve learned the most during this streak is the fact that I stay focused and keep that same calmness. No matter what happens on the field, just stay focused. .”
“I was very happy, you know?” manager Davey Martinez said when speaking to reporters about Garcia’s start to the season after the young infielder’s up-and-down play in recent years.
“I mean, I’ve been with him for a long time and it’s been really cool to see him actually really mature and grow.
“He’s finally starting to understand what he has to do every day to be successful. And that was my ultimate goal for him, ‘Hey, you can play here. But it was about showing him that these things need to happen, and they need to happen consistently. And he’s showing it now. I mean, I’m not talking about hitting. Because everyone will be 0-for-4. I’m talking about trivial things. Run the bases well, understand where to play, position yourself, make good throws, put your feet down when making good throws, always be ready, anticipate the ball to be hit and do it. Know what you want to do. He’s done everything really well so far and I’m really proud of what he’s done and where he is now. And if he continues to do that, he’s going to have a good year, really.
“So, I’m excited about his progress so far this year. We’ve got to continue to protect him, and I will, and we’ll let him continue.”
Nationals GM and Director of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo told 106.7 The Fan on Sports Junkies in DC Late last month, Garcia’s early season success was the result of a lot of hard work from him and his coaches.
“[Hitting Coach Darnell Coles] and [Assistant Hitting Coach] “Chris Johnson and he have been working hard since January to refine his stroke,” the GM explained, “refining his approach at the plate, it’s no secret for Lewis, he’s With us, I mean, since we signed this kid, he can really hit the ball when it’s in the strike zone, and when he’s in a pinch, he’ll chase it and get out of the strike zone. What he does is he stays focused and focused on the strike zone and what kind of pitches he can best deal with, and that’s really what we sit down with him every day before the game. It’s a byproduct of the hitting guys. [mapping] Develop a strategy for each pitcher you will face. ”
“So, congratulations to him. He’s worked really, really hard this offseason and through spring training. Darnell and CJ have refined that thought process and gotten his swing to a point where it’s really staying in the league. “I think he worked with him to make sure he was playing baseball, using the whole field, not trying to be pull-happy, and I think he’s seeing the results of that effort.” ”
Garcia Jr.’s barrel % (11.5%) earlier this year is up from his career average of 6.5%, and his exit velocity (averaging 90.8 mph) is also up (from 87.4).
His HardHit% (52.6%) has also increased (From career average of 35.9%), his year-over-year K% has dropped from 22.3% in 2023 to 19.0% this season (Although that’s slightly up from his career average of 17.5%.), BB% is increasing (2.9% in 2023, rising from 4.5% to 6.7% for career overall).
Garcia Jr.’s ZoneContact% over the past two seasons (91.0% in 2023, 92.1% this season) is up from his career averages of 87.5% and 83.1% in 2022.
“You know, I’ve had him for four years now.[-plus] For years, I’ve always said there’s something there, right? ” Martinez said Sunday afternoon. “We had to figure out how to get that out of him and get him to understand what we’re trying to do, what he’s trying to do. And he’s starting to understand that. It’s great.” He’s been active not only in hitting but also in defense. He’s made some good plays. I’ve been watching him and he’s starting to feel a lot better before pitching. It was fun to watch him because he knows what he wants to do right now, whether he’s hitting or playing the field. The season is still long so we have to keep him going. ”
One potential concern… Garcia Jr. tweaked his wrist trying to stretch a single into a double in Sunday’s game, and after a while his wrist started to hurt so Martinez replaced him.
“He hurt his wrist on the slide. He was starting to feel a little bit of pain and I wanted to take him outside and get him checked out,” the coach said after the game.
More than a month into the season, Garcia Jr. is starting to do something and looks like the player the club has hoped for since signing him in 2016 and since his MLB debut. So I hope it’s nothing serious. In 2020.
