Chicago White Sox 2021 Season Preview: Leury Garcia
When you are a team that is good enough to win the World Series, you always want as many depth players as you can find. The Chicago White Sox have a really good one in Leury Garcia. A few years ago, it was easy to wonder how his career was going to play out but he has just turned into a solid depth piece. He isn’t starting on this team when they are fully healthy anymore but that is okay.
Leury Garcia is a solid depth utility player for the Chicago White Sox.
The thing that Leury Garcia has going for him is the ability to play pretty much any position on the diamond. Obviously, he isn’t pitching or catching but that is clear. He is also probably never going to play first base. With that, everywhere else is somewhere that he can play.
In 2020, he started as the second baseman until Nick Madrigal arrived. Now that he is here, Garcia is the definition of a utility player. With Adam Engel in the mix as the fourth outfielder, Garcia’s game is more than likely going to be limited to third, second, and short. There also could be a case where he is a defensive replacement in the outfield at times.
Garcia’s bat isn’t too bad either. In 2020 he slashed .271/.317/.441 for an OPS of .758. His power numbers were low but he isn’t a power guy. He just figures out a way to impact the game when given the opportunity. He only played in 16 games which doesn’t help the power numbers either. Either way, playing in parts of about 70-80 games in 2021 would be perfect for him.
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2021 Expectations:
The White Sox just expects Leury to be there when needed. He isn’t going to start a lot but he can be a guy who plays in a decent amount of games. The White Sox need these types of players up and down the bench if they are going to compete.
Every team has injuries and performance issues throughout any given season. The good ones have the depth to go through those tough times with ease. Garcia is someone who can help with that. Garcia knows his role and has clearly bought in. The reward for this job can be amazing for him and his career going forward.