WASHINGTON -- Ty France was still absorbing the fact that he was in the Majors when reality came calling Friday -- he might be called on to pinch-hit in a key situation. Fortunately for the rookie, one of the Padres’ veterans was there to help.
“Around the fourth or fifth inning I started following Greg Garcia around,” France recalled. “He’s been kind of the one to show me the ways of how to come off the bench and get ready for that. There was a whole lot going on.”
Garcia, the pinch-hit specialist signed by San Diego in the offseason, knew that France might be a bit overwhelmed during his debut and wanted to set the young player at ease knowing that he might be called upon.
“I just remember the guys that did it for me when I was coming up,” Garcia said. “Guys like Daniel Descalso and Jon Jay helped me through this role. When you’re in the Minor Leagues, you’re playing every day and you’re not used to coming off the bench. Ty is a great ballplayer and he wants to learn and help the team win, and he knows that I’ve been in this role for a few years now. So, I just told him what I usually do. And he’ll find his own little routine.”
Garcia’s mentorship is emblematic of what the Padres hope to do this season with a mix of veterans and rising young players like France, Fernando Tatis Jr. and catcher Francisco Mejia.
“That’s kind of what was going on with the roster construction of this team,” Garcia said. “You can see what they did with bringing in guys like Ian Kinsler, and having guys like Eric Hosmer and Manny Machado. In the bullpen you have great leadership and you have a nice mix of young guys that are super-talented and willing to learn.”
Manager Andy Green has been pleased to see his veterans take a leadership role this season, and said Garcia’s hitting savvy pays dividends for young players looking to get a handle on a bench role.
“Greg has a great feel for the game and an understanding of being ready to hit,” Green said. “So you always want somebody on the bench that can help younger guys understand the way the game is flowing and when they might be utilized. And Ty is a smart kid. He’s going to follow the guy who knows what he’s doing. There’s different types of veteran leadership all over the field, in the bullpen and on the bench, and Greg definitely does that on the bench.”
The bench tutorial paid off in France’s first MLB hit, a single that he was excited went right through the “5.5 hole” made famous by his college coach at San Diego State and Padre legend Tony Gwynn.
“It takes a little bit of pressure off me,” France said. “I realized, I’m a big leaguer now. I exist in the big leagues.”
France plans on sending the ball to his parents, but there’s just one hitch to that plan. As of Saturday morning, he had no idea where it was.
“I still haven’t even seen the ball yet -- I don’t know where the ball is,” France said, noting that his teammates hadn’t tried the fake ball trick on him either. “I haven’t seen any ball at all. Hopefully someone has it.”