White Sox: Will This Be Season Avisail Garcia Lives Up to Potential?
White Sox outfielder having another solid Spring Training. Will this translate to a productive season on the South Side?
The Chicago White Sox acquired Avisail Garcia as part of three team trade in 2013. The young outfielder was a top prospect in the Detroit Tigers farm system, and was looked at as good player for the future.
Fast forward to 2017, and Garcia could be on his last legs with the Sox. After three underwhelming seasons on the South Side, will 2017 be the season Garcia finally lives up to his potential? Through 20 games in Spring Training, Garcia is hitting .293 with two home runs, four RBIs and two walks. Although his stats are solid, he did manage to hit .361 through 20 Spring Training games in 2016.
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While Garcia is having another good Spring Training, his impressive stats doesn’t mean they will translate well going into the regular season. Last season, Garcia finished 2016 with a .245 batting average, 12 home runs and 51 RBI’s.
Garcia hasn’t hit more than .257 in any season played with the Sox where he appeared in more than 42 games. Despite a strong showing in 2013 where he hit .283 in 42 games for the Sox, Garcia has failed to hit for a high average. Garcia’s lack of power has been concerning since arriving to the Sox. His career high in home runs is 13 which he hit during the 2015 season.
The Sox will most likely utilize Garcia as its designated hitter and have him play some games in right field. While his defense has been questionable throughout his career, he could still provide value if he can produce offensively as a DH. However, last season Garcia was better offensively when he was playing in right field then when he was a DH.
Through 63 games played as DH last season for the Sox, Garcia hit .230 with six home runs and 26 RBIs. Garcia had a higher average when he played right field for the Sox. In 46 games, Garcia hit .268 with six home runs and 21 RBIs. If the Sox are going to rely on Garcia getting a lot of at bats, they might be better off with him playing right field. But they would have to give up solid defense in the outfield.
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This upcoming season could be a make or break campaign for Garcia. At 25-years-old, the young outfielder still has a chance at living to his potential but he doesn’t have much time. If he is unable to have a productive season for the Sox, he could find it hard to land a job on a MLB team in the future.