Luis Garcia Aspirations / Trepidations Thread

[IanRubbish]

Which is more or less what he’s been for his career

He's also just turned 24, too young to generalize about his career.  This is a slump, I'd give him a chance to bounce back before writing him off.

[nobleisthyname]

His hard hit rate has plummeted in May. Still higher than last year but no longer excellent like it was in April.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/06/03/luis-garcia-nationals-improvement/
Golden goes a little in depth on Luis G Jr. Discusses some of the offseason work and improved results, as well as how it was playing extended time in the domincan winter league last winter.

An interesting observation on how his performance has improved vs. the curve:

García is still chasing more than a season ago — his weakness always has been breaking pitches below the strike zone. But he said he has learned how to work longer at-bats until he gets his pitch instead of panicking, altering his mechanics and swinging at pitches he couldn’t drive.
***
García entered Monday with a .579 slugging percentage on breaking balls, the highest of his career. He credits that improvement to his newfound focus and his dad, who helped him adjust. García explained that he always has had a flat swing. That’s why, especially against breaking balls, he would hit the top of the baseball and frequently ground out.

But this offseason, García made a slight swing adjustment with his elbow so he can stay below the baseball and elevate more pitches. For his career, García has a groundball rate of 53.7 percent. This season, it’s down to 45.7 percent, closer to the MLB average.

Also mentions lost weight, improved D.

[Slateman]

June 20, and a sub .700 OPS.

.743 OPS against RHP, .461 against LHP.

[Smithian]

June 20, and a sub .700 OPS.

.743 OPS against RHP, .461 against LHP.

Vargas this season has been giving coverage to 2B, LF, 3B, and SS. He smokes lefties. Struggles against righties. Luis Garcia has less than 50 ABs against LHPs this season, so it feels like they're trying to protect him against those matchups.

Garcia is fine. He isn't an extension candidate or anything like that, but he's a fine option to pencil in the lineup while more pressing concerns at DH, 1B, and 3B are addressed.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

June 20, and a sub .700 OPS.

.743 OPS against RHP, .461 against LHP.

let's see how Nunez does as a fill in for CJ. Maybe he starts occasionally at second. Jack Dunn might be a viable platoon if necessary. right now, you just drop Garcia back to 6th or 7th in the order against lefty starters and hope that by the 3rd time through he faces righties.

Keeping Vargas on the bench let's you drop him at the optimum PH spot if it is close and late and we need contact.

[Slateman]

See .... I kinda think we should trade him. Garcia is a nice 6/7 hitter against RHP with decent defense. I think this is as good as he is going to get here in DC, and we are not in a position to be running a platoon at 2B.

I also think CJ's poor defense at shortstop is looming large. We need to be thinking about moving him to second base. I'm wondering if Garcia should be on the trade block.

A team like the Yankees may be interested, simply as a cheap replacement to Gleyber, or if Gleyber's bat doesnt wake up soon. They have the players and roster space to platoon with him.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

See .... I kinda think we should trade him. Garcia is a nice 6/7 hitter against RHP with decent defense. I think this is as good as he is going to get here in DC, and we are not in a position to be running a platoon at 2B.

I also think CJ's poor defense at shortstop is looming large. We need to be thinking about moving him to second base. I'm wondering if Garcia should be on the trade block.

A team like the Yankees may be interested, simply as a cheap replacement to Gleyber, or if Gleyber's bat doesnt wake up soon. They have the players and roster space to platoon with him.

I kind of get opening another place for CJ, but I think it is a big step back for this team to give up on the keystone combo. It kills this year, too, unless you then try Dunn and Vargas. It also commits you to buying your next MI for 2025 and beyond.

[welch]

I kind of get opening another place for CJ, but I think it is a big step back for this team to give up on the keystone combo. It kills this year, too, unless you then try Dunn and Vargas. It also commits you to buying your next MI for 2025 and beyond.

Garcia-CJ are good enough. Use Nunez at SS until CJ's wrist is healed, and I could not imagine saying that until I saw Nunez make that leap and scramble yesterday. He has never hit, but maybe he can learn. Otherwise, Garcia might have become serious enough to hold 2B. Sure, maybe he will drift off into laziness, again, and if so, it would be best to trade him while he is good...

[Slateman]

I kind of get opening another place for CJ, but I think it is a big step back for this team to give up on the keystone combo. It kills this year, too, unless you then try Dunn and Vargas. It also commits you to buying your next MI for 2025 and beyond.

This is not a playoff team unlees you trade for a middle of the order in your lineup. Its fantasy land to believe otherwise.

We have 1500 plate appearances now. He's a low .700s OPS against RHP. On a competitive lineup, he's a number 7 or 8 hitter.

Dont really care who we try at SS, but we're at 2400 innings and CJ is, metrically, one of the worst infield defenders. The long term plan cant be to keep him there to build a competitive team, and Nunez isnt an option (at least, not without a monster middle of the order).

We could package Garcia with Finnegan or Harvey and get one of the Yankees top 5 prospects and then some.

[Count Walewski]

It is August 27 and Luis Garcia leads the Nationals in WAR, hits, RBIs, and OBP.

[imref]

It is August 27 and Luis Garcia leads the Nationals in WAR, hits, RBIs, and OBP.

not sure if that's good or bad.

[rbw5t]

not sure if that's good or bad.

Good for him, bad for the team

[Senatorswin]

not sure if that's good or bad.

It is shocking.

[Slateman]

Its a nice surprise. Lots of us were ready to write him off.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Washington is 7th in MLB fWAR from second base at 3.2. That's 3.0 from LGJr and 0.2 from Vargas (although that includes Vargas at 3rd and other positions; Vargaxs has played roughly 370 innings at other positions and 227 at 2nd).

Garcia still hits like a guy who should be in a platoon at 2nd (.256 / .293 / .337). Vargas hits lefties OK (.293 / .330 / .384). Defensively, Luis has been better this year. It'd be nice if there were an internal right handed hitting option to back up the MIs. I'm not sure Nunez or Lipscomb are the guys.

[Smithian]

Washington is 7th in MLB fWAR from second base at 3.2. That's 3.0 from LGJr and 0.2 from Vargas (although that includes Vargas at 3rd and other positions; Vargaxs has played roughly 370 innings at other positions and 227 at 2nd).

Garcia still hits like a guy who should be in a platoon at 2nd (.256 / .293 / .337). Vargas hits lefties OK (.293 / .330 / .384). Defensively, Luis has been better this year. It'd be nice if there were an internal right handed hitting option to back up the MIs. I'm not sure Nunez or Lipscomb are the guys.

I expect Vargas to be back next season since he is a very good platoon partner for Luis Garcia and can move around some in a pinch. In a normal world where Nunez wasn't on this team, Vargas wouldn't have had to play so much outside that role and would have been kept in a platoon role and occasional defensive sub versus racking up starts at 3B and LF. The further he gets from that limited role the more his bat is exposed.

If Nationals actually lean into free agency this year, I still see a world where Vargas can be a useful player on an above .500 team as a platoon partner for Garcia and 3B/SS backup. It doesn't hurt he'll be a veteran on a young team.

[GataNats]

Vargas is a total bum.   Guy has one home run all season

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Vargas is a total bum.   Guy has one home run all season

sat next to a couple of Vargas haters Monday night. I would love to see long term Tena and Lipscomb as the backup infielders behind House, Abrams, Garcia, and [fill in the hitting stud here], but I'm really skeptical about Lip being able to hit enough to be Garcia's righty backup. Vargas is counted on a bit too much by Davey, but the ability to spell a righty like Lip or Senzel when they weren't touching RHP and to spell Garcia, mostly reliably, against LHP, makes it understandable. Toss in the shaky LF, and Vargas gets close to 300 PAs.

As for Garcia, hitting LHP is the next step. He has to get some chances, especially this season when we are not contending for anything. I'm not saying all the time because it might get depressing and get fans on him, but at least half the time we face LHP.

[Smithian]

sat next to a couple of Vargas haters Monday night. I would love to see long term Tena and Lipscomb as the backup infielders behind House, Abrams, Garcia, and [fill in the hitting stud here], but I'm really skeptical about Lip being able to hit enough to be Garcia's righty backup. Vargas is counted on a bit too much by Davey, but the ability to spell a righty like Lip or Senzel when they weren't touching RHP and to spell Garcia, mostly reliably, against LHP, makes it understandable. Toss in the shaky LF, and Vargas gets close to 300 PAs.

As for Garcia, hitting LHP is the next step. He has to get some chances, especially this season when we are not contending for anything. I'm not saying all the time because it might get depressing and get fans on him, but at least half the time we face LHP.

Lipscomb makes a ton of sense as an eventual Vargas replacement, but he has to eventually hit. Jose Tena doesn't work as a platoon partner to Garcia, who I assume will never hit LHP.

I don't see why Vargas is on the chopping block. he can field three IF positions and cover the corner OF. He hits righties well, which complements Garcia.

If the bench next year is Alex Call, Ildemaro Vargas, and strong hitter who can backup 1B/3B/DH (Tena or Chaparro?), we'll be fine. You can win with that. I'm more concerned about who is starting at 1B/DH and who covers 3B if Tena cools off in September. Plenty of bench pieces already on roster who you can win with.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Lipscomb makes a ton of sense as an eventual Vargas replacement, but he has to eventually hit. Jose Tena doesn't work as a platoon partner to Garcia, who I assume will never hit LHP.

Tena is more of a platoon partner for House, eventually, than for Abrams or Garcia. Lip or some other righty is CJ's and Garcia's.

I don't see why Vargas is on the chopping block. he can field three IF positions and cover the corner OF. He hits righties well, which complements Garcia.

Since he's been in Washington, Vargas has been much better against LHP than RHP, so I assume you meant he's better hitting righty than lefty. I agree he's a good platoon partner for Garcia and occasionally Abrams.
https://www.fangraphs.com/players/ildemaro-vargas/13324/splits?position=2B/3B

If the bench next year is Alex Call, Ildemaro Vargas, and strong hitter who can backup 1B/3B/DH (Tena or Chaparro?), we'll be fine. You can win with that. I'm more concerned about who is starting at 1B/DH and who covers 3B if Tena cools off in September. Plenty of bench pieces already on roster who you can win with.

[Smithian]

Tena is more of a platoon partner for House, eventually, than for Abrams or Garcia. Lip or some other righty is CJ's and Garcia's.
Since he's been in Washington, Vargas has been much better against lefties than righties, at least this year, which is why he's a good platoon partner for Garcia and occasionally Abrams.
https://www.fangraphs.com/players/ildemaro-vargas/13324/splits?position=2B/3B

Fingers crossed the word "platoon" is never used in relation to Brady House.

And you're correct, I meant Vargas hits lefties well, therefore is a good platoon partner. Mistype on my part.

[Slateman]

House aint a platoon guy.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

House aint a platoon guy.

nah, just a guy who may need an occasional day off to preserve his body.

[Senatorswin]

Time will tell if House is a platoon guy. This year he's quite a bit better against lefthanders than righthanders.