Is Adolis Garcia a key to the Texas Rangers’ rebuild?

Can Adolis Garcia be a piece to build around for the Texas Rangers?

None of this is to say that Adolis Garcia has been the ONLY guy providing value for the Rangers so far. He may be the popular name that’s selling tickets at the moment, and he may be getting the loudest applause every time he steps into the batter’s box, but the Rangers have enjoyed success from many other pieces this year that are worth taking a look at in terms of where to improve and where to stay put.

When it comes to hitting, I think it’s safest to say the Rangers are fine. Nothing eye-popping, but nothing objectively concerning. No, getting no-hit twice does not factor into this take. Joe Musgrove and Corey Kluber were flat out untouchable in their historic games against Texas and the Rangers are merely one of three teams to get no-hit twice in the same season already in 2021. No-hitters are going to become commonplace very quickly and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see at least another couple by the All-Star break.

The Rangers don’t have any red flags at the plate that are holding them back, but they haven’t exactly raked, either. They’re a middle-of-the-pack lineup when it comes to getting on base. As a team, they rank 13th in baseball in batting average of balls in play, 17th in total bases per game and 14th in hits per game. Outside of Adolis, their offensive production has been very spread out rather than front-loaded by any specific player. But that’s the key right there – Adolis has been far and away the Rangers’ best hitter in 2021. If they decide to move him in July, and he’s still on pace to compete with Mercedes for the AL ROTY, then they chunk out a huge portion of their run production.

On the defensive side, Adolis has the quickness and flexibility to earn the starting spot in centerfield. With Gallo at his side, a lot of gap hits can be covered very quickly. Garcia combines his raw power at the plate with speed that gives him an advantage as an outfielder, and if he develops his throwing abilities, the outfield should be covered fairly well for Texas for a while. As of May 25, 2020 Gold Glove winner Isian Kiner-Falefa leads Major League Baseball in defensive WAR and defensive runs above average. Who comes in second among Rangers defensive WAR leaders but one Adolis Garcia!

The Rangers as a defensive squad don’t commit many errors, but they also aren’t among the league’s best at run prevention, and Adolis doesn’t have a cannon arm stable enough to fix that overnight. Garcia has garnered attention because of his hitting far more than his glove, but with time in the majors, he can continue to adjust to Major League hitting and has plenty of defensive help around him to feed off of.

All of these things considered, I think it’s imperative that this team spends money. The only teams with higher payrolls than Texas right now are the Dodgers, Twins, Yankees, Mets, and Astros. Two of those teams have won the World Series in recent years. The Mets definitely have the roster to win their division, and the Yankees are always going to be competitive as long as they continue their spending habits. Ownership has to be aggressive when guys like Garcia appear out of nowhere. Names like Kershaw, Bryant, Freeman, Story, and Castellanos all become free agents at the completion of this season. The Rangers will be able to afford players of their caliber and should be assertive in pursuing them.

Whether or not Garcia is the centerpiece of a rebuild, however, is a long way away from being determined. Texas has a handful of good, dependable ballplayers that are producing, but they’re not in the camp of a team like San Diego that clearly has “their guy” in Tatis Jr. to put talent around. Adolis isn’t there yet – none of the current Texas Rangers are. That’s not a bad thing in nature, because developing an MVP talent, franchise-caliber player doesn’t happen every day.