Adolis Garcia

The trepidation over Garcia's poor plate skills proved unwarranted as he essentially repeated his 2021 campaign, even adding a few more steals. To his credit, Garcia's strikeout rate improved from 31.2% to 27.9% while his walk rate went up a tick to 6.1%. His defense declined, but he was still a plus defender and Garcia played a career high 156 games. Garcia's fly ball exit velocity was well above average. In fact, his xHR suggests he was shortchanged in the department. Garcia ran a lot more and should continue to do so with the new rules. Last season, Garcia was available at a discount but that's vanished. However, despite the small improvements in approach, Garcia's subpar plate discipline still puts him at risk for a downturn. The power-speed combo is enticing, but chasing it is dicey.

Texas designated Garcia for assignment before spring training, but he cleared waivers and was a non-roster invitee. He didn't make the roster but was soon summoned from the alternate training site. An early power binge and his ability to play center earned Garcia regular playing time and an All-Star berth. He was slashing .270/.312/.527, doing most of his damage with a .988 OPS on fastballs, though a 30.6 K% and a 4.8 BB% portended a second-half swoon. Garcia slashed .208/.260/.387 the rest of the way, cratering to a .532 OPS on fastballs. Garcia's average exit velocity on fastballs didn't change much, but he posted a .402 BABIP on the pitch pre-break and .235 after. He has power with 83rd percentile sprint speed but poor plate skills. His skill level is between the extremes and will depend on BABIP fortune. A slow start could cost him playing time, but plus defense helps. Pay for counting stats but buffer a low average.

Signed out of Cuba for $2.5 million in 2017, Garcia was only able to earn 17 major-league plate appearances with the Cardinals before the club designated him for assignment in December of 2019. Garcia was subsequently traded to the Rangers and went on to log seven plate appearances for Texas in the shortened 2020 season, going hitless with four strikeouts. The Rangers then designated Garcia for assignment in February of 2021, with the outfielder passing through waivers unclaimed. Funny how things work out; Garcia has been the Rangers' best hitter since his April 13 call-up. A strikeout rate north of 30% combined with a below-average walk rate suggests he's playing over his skis at the moment, and Garcia should expect to see a heavier dose of the soft stuff moving forward (.067 BA vs. offspeed pitches through 28 games in 2021). However, Garcia has loud tools, including 84th percentile sprint speed at age 28, so there's a chance he ends up being one of the year's top in-season pickups.

Garcia signed with St. Louis for $2.5 million in February of 2017, and his success in Cuba's Serie Nacional quickly translated stateside. He mastered Double-A (124 wRC+) and held his own over 40 games at Triple-A (110 wRC+), which is exactly what he should have done, as he turns 25 in March. Garcia's plus speed is his best fantasy tool, and he also has the potential to hit .270 with 15-to-20 homers over a full season. If the Cardinals maintained the status quo and continued to cycle through one- and two-win outfielders, Garcia would have likely gotten his shot at some point in 2018. However, they wisely acquired Marcell Ozuna from Miami, opting for a true impact player that they weren't going to produce from within. That gives St. Louis three everyday outfielders and a handful at Triple-A or on the big-league bench waiting for an injury. Garcia may end up being a better all-around player than Randal Grichuk, Harrison Bader or Tyler O'Neill, but all three are ahead of him on the organizational depth chart entering the season.