On the White Sox
So why is he still batting sixth?
Manager Rick Renteria said before Wednesday night's 6-1 loss to the Royals that he considered moving Garcia up in the lineup but ultimately opted against it.
“I do ponder that a little bit,” Renteria said. “But I'm just trying to figure it out, give it a little time. I need to feel real comfortable when I start changing the slots for him. And it's gradual.
“There is a temptation to do it when guys who are hitting in front of him aren't having as much success at the moment. But he seems to be having a whole lot of success where he's at and generating what we need, whether it's driving in a run or getting on base. So up and down the lineup, they're picking each other up when they need to.”
Garcia came into Wednesday hitting .382 with a 1.062 OPS, fourth in the majors. Moving him to the middle of the order would seem to be a no-brainer. He has batted sixth 12 times this season, including Wednesday, and fifth eight times.
Is this year a turning point for him?
“Every year I try to get better,” Garcia said. “We'll see what happens.”
OK, calm down, Avi. No need to get so excited.
Really, if the Sox are in a true rebuild, perhaps trading Garcia while he's hot makes the most sense. They may never get a better return.
But that's not likely to happen, so the Sox at least should try to maximize his value in the lineup. Despite a recent surge, the Sox were ranked 10th in American League hitting and runs scored before Wednesday's loss.
In a typical lineup, the team's best hitter probably would bat third or fourth, depending on matchups. Renteria has used Jose Abreu fourth for the most part (17 games) and switch hitter Melky Cabrera third (19 games). Todd Frazier, who struggled in April but had a nine-game hitting streak that ended Wednesday, consistently has hit ahead of Garcia in the five hole.
“I'm coming on strong, man,” Frazier said. “I feel good at the plate. I feel good defensive-wise and I'm not worried about the average; if I worry about that, I'm not getting above .200.
“I know what (my average) is. At the same time, my last (week) I've put myself in good position to be a good hitter, the hitter I know I am.”
Frazier missed almost a week with the flu and admitted it “was a good six (or) seven days (that) I was doing nothing.” It took some time to get his energy back.
“It's like the weather,” he said. “You can't change it.”
If Renteria wanted to get more at-bats for Garcia, he could switch him to the three hole and move Cabrera up to second. But Renteria isn't ready to make a change.
“I know there is a general rule of thumb — you try to stack the best hitters at the top and filter it down,” he said. “But I don't mind mixing them up and keeping them fluid throughout the lineup.
“Sometimes it's not necessarily a bad situation to stack them up, but they're still human beings. They're not robots. Sometimes players consider where they're hitting, so you use it to a particular advantage psychologically
for them.”
Meaning Garcia might change his approach if the Sox moved him up?
“You never know,” Renteria said. “That's one of the things that you ponder. If I put …”
Renteria stopped in mid-thought and then decided not to reveal a lineup change he was considering.
“Well, I don't need to get into it,” he said.
Can't say we didn't try.
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