The Swing and Approach Changes Fueling a Maikel Garcia Breakout

Using new Statcast Swing Path data to analyze Garcia's offensive adjustments

Photo courtesy of AP/Daniel Kucin Jr.

For most of his (still brief) career, Maikel Garcia has been two things as a hitter: opposite-field oriented and… unimposing.

The first two months of 2025, however, have seen the 25-year-old third baseman improve by leaps and bounds at the plate, jumping from a 69 wRC+ in 2024 to a superb 139 wRC+. Garcia is hitting the ball with authority to all fields while continuing to uphold the elite contact rates that defined him at the dish through his first two full campaigns. He’s walking a tick more, striking out less and proving himself worthy of a spot in the upper half of Kansas City’s lineup.

But how?

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