Adolis Garcia was one of the finest entertainers in Major League Baseball just a year ago. Now, however, he's not making the impact the Texas Rangers expected him to have following a breakout season.
They want their Cuban star to be as aggressive as possible, yet he's taken a different approach at the plate this season.
Manager Chris Woodward wants Garcia to stay aggressive and try and steal bases. That's what they need from him:
“It’s something we preach every day,” Woodward said. “All day every day. It’s something we’ve done ever since I’ve been here. It’s probably one of my core philosophies of what I want our offense to look like."
Garcia was picked off trying to steal third base in the eighth inning of a one-run game. And, just when he promised he'd never do that again, Woodward asked him to do precisely the opposite:
“Games like yesterday. situations like (Saturday), it’s really, really important we wrap our arms around Adolis and say, ‘Hey.’ He even said right after OK, I’m never going to try that again. Right? That’s his first reaction. No, that’s not it. We want you to do that. One hundred percent," Woodward added.
He's not getting it done at the plate, either. He spent the offseason working on his patience and stopped being the aggressive hitter that made him, so fun to watch:
“I’ve been a little bit more passive because some of those pitches have not actually been in that zone where I’ve been looking for them,” García said. “So I had to start making a little bit more of an adjustment and it has been a little back and forth with that. They basically told me to forget about what’s happened and to move forward, and to stay more aggressive on the pitches that I know I can make good contact on.”
But even with a subpar Garcia at the plate, the Rangers continue to surge. They got off to a terrible start to the season, yet they're only four games below .500.
Texas made a considerable investment in the offseason with the additions of Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. However, keeping up with the Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros in that AL West will be an uphill battle. Unless Garcia goes back to being the player he was just one year ago.
