García’s struggle with high fastballs persists in spring
SURPRISE, Ariz. — The smile returned for Adolis García this week.
On Tuesday afternoon, it once again ran away from his face.
It is the ongoing battle between the closest thing the Texas Rangers have to Superman and his showdown with his own personal Kryptonite — the high fastball. As Geena Davis' Dottie Hinson said in A League Of Their Own: “Can't hit 'em, can't lay off 'em.”
“That's the story for my entire career,” García said Tuesday before striking out twice against Oakland on, you got it, high fastballs. “The key for me is to eliminate the high pitch and stay aggressive in the good part of the plate. That's my focus for spring. That's the process.”
It's always a process for him. Perhaps this year more than previous ones. More than any other player this spring, the Rangers have proceeded with caution where García is concerned. They slowly worked him back into the lineup since he spent much of the winter recovering from the oblique muscle he strained in Game 4 of the World Series. He's long had issues with knee soreness, and the Rangers are cognizant of that, too.
He didn't play in an “A” game until March 6. He didn't play in consecutive games until this week. It's hard to find timing against the fastball in uneven playing time.
It's shown.
He entered the week in an 0-for-15 skid that included eight strikeouts. Then he struck out in his first at-bat Monday before doubling and cranking out a home run. The smile returned.
“I'm trying to find that timing,” García said. “(Monday) was a good day.”
Tuesday: not so much. He struck out swinging to end the first against Tyler Ferguson. Two innings later, after reliever Dany Jiménez had walked four straight Rangers, García struck out on a 97 mph fastball above the zone. He'd gotten himself in trouble swinging at high velocity earlier in the atbat. Grabbed at the head of his bat and nodded his head as he headed back to the dugout. That was a battle lost.
In his final at-bat of the day, he hit a fly ball to deep right field.
Truth: This is not terribly unusual for García. Last year, for example, he ended spring on a 1-for-20 skid. He righted himself just fine in April and hit eight homers.
García's progress in harnessing his swing is largely what has led him to star status. He's no longer an indiscriminate swinger. Sometimes, though, he can still tilt toward too aggressive. It is the fight he always wages.
“My swing is getting better each day,” he said. “The process is just about my movements right now.”
In his first full season in the majors, García hit just .049 against fastballs at the top quadrant or above the zone. Of the 61 at-bats that concluded with a high-fastball, 70% ended with a swinging strikeout.
A year later, he cut the strikeout rate to 37% and raised his average to .177 as a result. Last year, particularly during a twomonth stretch after the All-star game when he tried to carry the Rangers, the chase became an issue again. Including the postseason, García struck out 57% of the time when pitchers threw a fourseamer. The average dropped back to .116.
The high-fastball is an issue for a lot of players, but how well a batter can lay off of it is often what separates a “guy” from a “star.”
“I think that's the case with a lot of players,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “With Adolis, it's an area he's worked hard on, and I think he's definitely shown that improvement. I think he'll tell you that he probably doesn't need to swing as hard as he does sometimes because he's got tremendous power. Staying under control a little more is going to benefit him.”