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The left-handed hitter finished July with a .217 average, .250 on-base percentage and .301 slugging percentage, good for a .551 OPS. Since logging a six-hit game against the Kansas City Royals on May 26, he has a .599 OPS, the 11th-lowest among qualified hitters in that stretch. On defense, his lack of quickness at second base has turned a handful of routine plays into diving attempts. He is skilled on both sides of the ball, possessing soft hands and plus contact ability. But that’s rarely yielded results in the past four months.García knows he can reach most pitches and has trouble resisting. Early on, though, he adjusted his overaggressive approach, cutting his swing and chase rates in a way that pleased the coaching staff. But if you take his season as a whole, concerning trends emerge. His chase rate may be 34 percent, nine points lower than last year, yet he is still vulnerable below the zone, where pitchers keep attacking him to induce weakly hit groundballs. His average launch angle has dipped from 5.5 in 2022 to 4.1. Despite rarely striking out or whiffing, he’s in the 28th percentile in hard-hit percentage, according to Statcast, and hardly ever walks.Sure, a few of his expected stats indicate at least some bad luck. But luck aside, this is not the desired production for a bat-first middle infielder who was once a top prospect. It is far, far from it. Perhaps most noticeably, García crushed four-seam fastballs last year (.747 slugging percentage) and has not done that in 2023 (.471). And that’s with seeing the pitch at a near-identical rate.
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Topic: Luis Garcia Aspirations / Trepidations Thread (Read 7692 times)
