Avisaíl García has put all his considerable talents together this season for the Milwaukee Brewers
Todd RosiakIn a consistently inconsistent offensive season for the team, Avisaíl García has stood out individually for the Milwaukee Brewers.
The rightfielder was batting .270 with career highs in both home runs and runs batted in with 29 and 84, respectively, entering Thursday's series finale with the St. Louis Cardinals at American Family Field.
Over his past 59 games, the 30-year-old's line is .320/16/42 — numbers the Brewers needed in the middle of their lineup with Christian Yelich suffering through another subpar season.
García hit a career-high .330 with an .885 OPS and 80 RBI for the Chicago White Sox in 2017, the year he earned his sole all-star nod, and he homered 20 times for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019.
But he's taken his game as a run producer to a new level in 128 games for the Brewers in 2021.
"I don't think players get to pick how their season plays out, but Avi's had an excellent offensive season," manager Craig Counsell said. "His second half, he's really swung the bat well. His power in the second half has been there like it's never been in his career.
"He's had a really good offensive season, there's no doubt about it."
García's breakout comes on the heels of a disappointing first season with Milwaukee, in which he hit .238/2/15 over 53 games with baseball having shortened its schedule to two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But in fairness to García, he was also miscast as a leadoff hitter and centerfielder after the Brewers were caught off-guard by Lorenzo Cain opting out for health reasons five games into the season.
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This year, García has been a fixture in right and the cleanup spot with his average steadily climbing since June 22, when it sat at just .232. His play with the glove has also been outstanding, as he's accounted for plus-nine defensive runs saved.
The Brewers would undoubtedly love to have García back next season. But his two-year total of plate appearances has earned him the right to opt out should he so choose — an option he might take with the possibility of landing bigger money and a longer-term deal, but looming labor unrest could be a factor in his decision as well.
The only area of García's game that he can really be dinged on has been his availability in recent weeks. He's played in 128 games — starting 114 — and has avoided an injury list placement, but nagging back and leg issues have led to multi-game absences and the need to spot him periodic days off like Thursday.
"The plan was after coming off it, it would be three games this series then give him a day off," Counsell said. "Kind of keep him going in the right direction."