Davey Martinez challenged Luis García, Jr. when the now-24-year-old infielder optioned out to Triple-A for a month in August/September 2023.
The membership’s objective with García, Jr. was getting him to develop a greater routine every day.
“He’s 23 years previous,” Martinez instructed reporters when García, Jr. went to the minors.
“I needed him to go down and work on some issues, particularly extra consistency out of him in his whole recreation, preparation, routine, issues of that nature.
“So he will get an opportunity to go down there, reset his ft somewhat bit. As quickly as he exhibits us he can try this, we’ll convey him up. However he’s bought an amazing quantity of ability, he actually does. He has nice bat-to-ball abilities, his fingers actually work defensively. Lots of it, what we wish him to get higher at is utilizing his decrease half each hitting and on the sphere, so he’s started working on that stuff whereas he’s down there.”
“It was a preparation project,” GM Mike Rizzo instructed The Sports activities Junkies late within the 2023 marketing campaign.
“We needed him to go down there and be taught a routine, and discover ways to put together for every recreation within the large leagues.
“He went down there and has actually tightened up his time within the weight room, his time within the batting cage, his time within the video room. He’s actually gotten himself in nice form, he’s misplaced a number of kilos, which was one of many issues that we needed him to work on when he bought down there.”
García completed up the 2023 marketing campaign with a 22-game run over which he put up a stable .304/.360/.507 line, 5 doubles, and three house runs in 75 PAs.
Having stepped up when challenged, García was challenged once more, with Martinez telling his second baseman, over the winter of ‘23-’24, he’d need to earn the second base job in D.C. in Spring Coaching.
“My message to him was is not any ensures in Spring Coaching,” Martinez stated.
“You bought to return and battle for a job. I believe I despatched the message to him once we despatched him down. And it harm me as a result of I really like the child. However he’s bought to get higher.
“He’s occurring his fourth 12 months now with us, and I do know what the upside is with Luis, however we bought to get it out of him. He’s bought to be constant.”
García, Jr. was simply that in his fifth main league season, ending with a .282/.318/.444 line, 25 doubles, and 18 house runs in 140 video games and 582 plate appearances a (career-best) 3.1 fWAR run.
Because the membership famous of their Season in Overview, García, Jr., “[s]et career-highs in almost each offensive class in his breakout season.”
The highlights (through the Nationals’ Season in Overview)?:
[García, Jr.] was 1 of 6 gamers in MLB to hit over .280 with no less than 40 XBH and 20 SB in 2024
Ranked 4th in NL with a .312 common after July 3 (min. 200 AB)
Ranked amongst NL second basemen: SLG (2nd, .444), AVG (2nd, .282), RBI (2nd, 70), OPS (2nd, .762), HR (third, 18)…Led WSH w/a .312 AVG with RISP
“He’s been nice, he actually has. I’m not speaking simply in regards to the hitting. The protection has been loads higher, the baserunning has been loads higher, the general recreation has been loads higher,” Martinez stated in August. “He’s placing the work in. I do know I talked to him, I used to be somewhat bit exhausting on him at first, however that is all him. He’s finished the work, and he’s [reaping] the advantages proper now. I’m going to maintain him going, I need him to complete robust for the remainder of the season, however he’s been nice.”
The skipper additionally acknowledged García, Jr.’s maturity on the time, and joked with a reporter about the truth that the infielder continues to be fairly younger despite his expertise within the majors.
“Fairly younger?” challenged the reporter, humorously. “He’s younger. He’s actually younger. He bought right here at an early age, however he’s beginning to perceive who he might be, and enjoying constant, which is nice. That’s all we are able to ask for is simply consistency out of those guys, however he’s been doing all of the issues that we requested him to do over time, and he’s actually placing collectively 12 months this 12 months.”
García, Jr. barreled extra balls up (8%; up from a 6.6 Barrel% for his profession), and hit them tougher than he had beforehand (89.1 MPH Exit Velo; up from 87.7 MPH in his profession, and a 41.7% HardHit%; up from 36.7% total in his profession).
“He’s simply actually staying behind the baseball, he actually is, and while you’re ready to make use of your legs, quite a lot of good issues can occur,” Martinez stated in September.
“We like the place his method is at proper now, so we’re not going to fuss with it an excessive amount of. He’s actually engaged, he’s actually attempting to have good at-bats each at-bat.”
There’s nonetheless, in fact, nonetheless room for enchancment. Martinez sat García, Jr. at occasions in opposition to powerful lefties, and talked about his method in opposition to left-handers as a piece in progress late this previous season.
“I attempt to match him up as a result of he’s doing so properly,” Martinez defined. “I don’t wish to get him beat up but … [but] when he’s within the recreation, it’s powerful to take him out for a pinch hitter, so I need him to face lefties. However we’re nonetheless engaged on issues together with his method to lefties, so far as staying in there, and hitting chosen pitches.
“The most important factor is that in opposition to lefties he chases quite a lot of balls down. We’re tying to get him to grasp to get the ball up and in additional in the direction of him.
“He can’t cowl each side of the plate. It’s powerful to do in opposition to a left-handed pitcher. However he’s studying and he’s been actually good.”
