ARLINGTON -- Adolis García strutted out of the batter’s box Tuesday afternoon after launching a two-run homer like he always does. He carried the bat with both hands before enthusiastically tossing it on the ground as the ball sailed over the left-field wall at Globe Life Field.
It was García’s 27th homer of the season, bringing his RBI total to exactly 100 in 2022 after logging 90 in his rookie year in ‘21. He became the first Rangers hitter to log a 100-RBI season since Nomar Mazara in 2017. García also joins Iván Rodríguez and Alfonso Soriano as the only Texas hitters to log 25 homers, 25 stolen bases and 100 RBIs in a season.
For García, reaching 100 RBIs was an important goal he set for himself coming into this season, and it's something he had been chasing in the final weeks.
“I was very anxious about getting those two RBIs,” García said through interpreter Raul Cardenas. “I was waiting for these two for a while. I feel really good about it and I’m super proud of myself for having such a great year.”
The outfielder has consistently shown a desire and ability to come up big in clutch situations, so while the Rangers eventually fell, 5-4, to the Yankees in Game 1 of a doubleheader, García’s homer put the Rangers ahead in the fifth inning.
“It’s a milestone he’s been chasing,” said interim manager Tony Beasley. “He wanted to get 100 RBIs, and he still wants 30 homers. It’s good to see him get that and put us up when he did. He gave us a lead, we just didn't hold on. It was a good job by him and I’m proud of him for getting that done this year. When you achieve personal goals like that, it helps the team, too.”
Coming into this season, after setting the world on fire in his rookie year, García was out to prove he could be a true everyday player in the big leagues. Part of that was avoiding the second-half slump that tanked his numbers in 2021.
Not only did he avoid the slump in 2022, he improved as the year went on.
2021
First half: .270/.312/.527 (.840 OPS)
Second half: .211/.256/.370 (.627 OPS)
2022
First half: .237/.282/.439 (.720 OPS)
Second half: .266/.324/.480 (.804 OPS)
García said part of that was just learning how to take care of his body and not getting worn down by the grind of a full 162-game season. The other part was being able to handle big league pitching better, recognize different pitches, limit his chase rate and drive pitches in the zone.
“This year’s been a lot better than it was last year,” García said. “I think that this year, I’ve gotten a better understanding of the pitching and the guys that are pitching against me, so I’ve gotten a lot better because of that. ... I also had to prepare myself a lot more than the year before. The year was long and I wanted to remain more consistent. I worked harder and did things [on and off the field] to be able to sustain that all year long.”
Now, as García has hopefully cemented himself as a centerpiece of the Rangers' organization for the foreseeable future, he’s already thinking about what’s next and the goals he wants to set for himself going into 2023.
But before he does that, he wants to finish the final games of the 2022 season on a high note.
“It’s important because I want to be more confident in this next season," García said. "Come in here with a little bit more confidence and be better next year."