The Yankees went into the winter looking for a left-handed bat that could exploit the short porch in right field. Cody Bellinger was supposed to be that answer, the kind of pull hitter who could turn Yankee Stadium’s dimensions into nightly damage. Instead, the player most consistently cashing in on that setup has been Luis Garcia Jr.
Garcia, a July trade pickup meant to help a lineup ravaged by injuries, kept rolling Wednesday in New York’s 9-3 win over the Houston Astros. He went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and scored three times, driving rallies in the first and seventh innings before sending an eighth-inning blast over the right-field wall to finish off the scoring.
That homer was his fifth since joining the Yankees and his 28th of the season, with four of those coming in his last six games. Since arriving in pinstripes, Garcia is hitting .306 with a .354 on-base percentage and a .569 slugging percentage.
Over his last seven games, he has been even hotter, batting .462 with a .517 on-base percentage and a .962 slugging mark. He entered Wednesday seventh in the majors with 87 RBIs.
Manager Aaron Boone has taken notice, and he’s made it clear Garcia’s production is no accident.
“He’s got some serious thunder coming through the zone, he’s a really good hitter,” Boone said. “I hope our fanbase is starting to see what a live bat that we got in here.”
Boone connected Garcia’s success directly to the ballpark.
“He’s hit some balls really hard since he’s been here,” Boone said. “He’s capable of nights like this. He’s got serious juice, I think he’s ready-made for this ballpark, and it’s good to see him have a night like that.”
Garcia, for his part, is enjoying the run and has even embraced a little superstition along the way. He said a bejeweled necklace he started wearing during the series is staying put.
“Yeah, maybe the chain has powers so I’m gonna keep wearing it for now,” Garcia said through an interpreter.
He also said the more he plays in New York, the more settled he feels.
“The more games I play here, I’m getting more comfortable and I’m getting the results,” Garcia said.
Bellinger’s return to form has not changed Garcia’s outlook either. If anything, having Bellinger behind him has added another layer to the lineup.
“It’s incredible to have him,” Garcia said of Bellinger. “He’s always a player that brings a lot of energy, very positive. He’s a heck of a ballplayer so to have him contribute like that, it’s incredible to have.”
The numbers back up the eye test. Through his first 18 games in pinstripes, Garcia posted a 137 wRC+, along with a .522 slugging percentage, an 8.1 percent walk rate and a 17.6 percent strikeout rate. His OPS as a Yankee climbed to .924 after Wednesday’s homer.
That kind of output is exactly what the Yankees envisioned from the left side when they built around the Stadium’s right-field wall. The difference is that Garcia has supplied it while Bellinger works back after injury.
Now the Yankees have a good problem on their hands. With Aaron Judge likely to return as the designated hitter at first, and Ben Rice already established at first base, they’ll have to figure out where Garcia fits once the roster gets healthier.
Second base is one possibility, though his defensive numbers there have not been strong. Another path would be getting Judge back in the outfield, which could open more room for Garcia and Rice.
However it shakes out, the Yankees don’t appear interested in taking Garcia’s bat out of the lineup.
New York is 75-57 and still sitting atop the American League wild-card race. The Yankees finish their series with the Astros on Thursday, and Garcia will be back in the lineup, chain and all, with the short porch still waiting.
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