https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/14/luis-garcia-nationals/discusses Luis Garcia's love of swinging and not taking pitches. Comments point out he has 2 walks in 154 plate appearance, which is how a guy with a .302 batting average can have only a .312 OBP. Begs the question of why Davey has started to hit him leadoff. As another brilliant comment by an amazingly sharp and handsome commenter points out a couple of times in the comments, seems like this guy should be hitting third between Soto and Bell. That's a spot where contact and balls in play matter more than walk skills. No doubt now Garcia is one of the top 5 hitters on the team, but #3 or #5 seem to be better spots, at least under SABR theories of batting order construction.
Admittedly, this team may simply lack a leadoff hitter. Somebody has to do it, and it probably not Soto, Bell, or Cruz. Keibert isn't an ideal candidate either, but he seems more disciplined than Garcia.
He soon entered Thursday swinging at 58.2 percent of pitches, tied for 14th highest among major leaguers with at least 100 plate appearances. His swing rate on pitches outside of the strike zone, 47.1 percent, ranked fifth. So his response, however coy, was really no surprise.
“For me, it’s pretty simple,” García said. “I just love to swing.”
García is not the archetype of a leadoff hitter. Sure, he often batted first in the lower rungs of the minors. But up here, clubs often desire speed, plate discipline and someone who works long at-bats, helping his teammates see pitches before their first crack at a starter.
