Nationals: Luis Garcia can’t provide the power needed at second base

Luis Garcia has filled in nicely at second base for the injured Starlin Castro, though at this point he doesn’t have enough power to be the long term solution.

The home run Luis Garcia hit to sink the Tampa Bay Rays sure was nice (unless you are watching the jockeying for position in next year’s draft). The two-run jack in the tenth inning sent the Washington Nationals to the win column, ending a three game losing streak.

Garcia has filled in quite well for Starlin Castro, who went on the injured list earlier in the year with a broken wrist. Garcia is hitting .284 and has ten runs batted in, thus far in 95 at-bats this season.

Though he has struggled in the field, he has handled the bat well. For a twenty year-old he has held his own. Don’t expect to get a lot of power out of him, and this could be a problem for the Nationals moving forward.

With a healthy wrist next season, Castro will begin the year as the every day second baseman. Castro had a career high 22 home runs in 2019, only the second time in 11 years he’s topped 20. He did top 20, though.

A year ago, Brian Dozier hit 20 home runs, while playing second base. When Daniel Murphy was in town at 2B, he averaged 24 home runs a season. In 2018, Wilmer Difo handled the majority of second base duties, and hit just 7 home runs. He, of the recent DFA.

With the way the game has evolved, the Nationals need to have a guy at second base who can flash some power.

In twelve hundred minor league at-bats, Garcia has hit twelve home runs. In the big leagues he has doubled his production, though two home runs every one hundred at-bats won’t cut it.

Yes, he is young and the power may still come. With Castro presumably getting most of the time next year, will Garcia begin the year in the minors so he can get regular at-bats? Remains to be seen. After Castro leaves via free agency after 2021, however, the job is Garcia’s to lose. If his  power stroke never comes, he may not hold it for long.