Every week, we break down a different MLB shortstop to examine — good or bad. Maybe it's an MLB top prospect, a “flavor of the month” on the fantasy baseball waiver wire, or someone who could be “sell-high” trade bait. Sometimes, it's a superstar or burgeoning player who is turning in the season we were all hoping for and rising up fantasy baseball rankings. In this edition of the Fantasy Alarm Player Spotlight series, we will turn our attention to Washington Nationals’ middle infielder Luis González. On a team that declared themselves dead before the trade deadline even approached, one fantasy asset in the second half has been second baseman/shortstop Garcia.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Player Spotlight: Luis García

Not much is going right for the Washington Nationals this year. No Major League team has fewer wins than the Nationals, and they are already eliminated from any postseason consideration with three and a half weeks left. But that was to be expected after the fire sale that took place sending their best offensive players, Juan Soto and Josh Bell, out of town. 

There have been some highlights such as CJ Abrams getting a full time shot and the unlikely power surge from journeyman Joey Meneses. But one of the most recent bright spots is young middle-infielder Luis García who is simply mashing the ball the last few weeks. 

 

A Late Season Surge for Luis García

Looking at the list of the best power shortstops over the last 30 days, you see a lot of familiar faces. In the top ten you find Bo Bichette, Tommy Edman, Carlos Correa, Oneil Cruz, and Xander Bogaerts. But the one name that certainly stands out on that list is 23-year-old Luis García, who ranks sixth in slugging percentage at the position in the last month. 

In fact, Garcia’s line of .316/.339/.491 is one of the best at the position in all three slash rates. He has two homers, four doubles, eight RBI, and a steal in that span and has been an everyday starter in the number two spot for Washington since his return from injury last month. 

The major change in Garcia’s profile really comes from finally developing some patience and discernment at the plate. He has drastically decreased his swinging strike rate which has drastically improved his contact percentage. 

Garcia is not a walker (1.7% walk rate this season), so this new plate discipline is what must happen for him to have on-base success. 

 

What Can We Expect from Luis García The Rest of This Season?

Now eligible at both second base and shortstop, Garcia is an ideal pick to help middle-infield desperate teams during their playoff push. At the time of this writing, Garcia was rostered in only 8% of Yahoo fantasy leagues even though he is a top-12 shortstop option in rotisserie leagues over the last two weeks. 

This is a guy who had an ADP that was basically nonexistent in the 2022 preseason. His 616 ADP in NFBC leagues means he was an afterthought then and has basically remained so until now. But with a solid lineup spot and everyday plate appearances coming for the next three weeks, this is a player you can grab for nothing who should help in four or five categories the rest of the season. 


 

 


 

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