White Sox Avisail Garcia: Now a Must-Add off the Waiver Wire?

By Brad Kelly | Apr 21, 2017

Sep 27, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Chicago White Sox pinch hitter Avisail Garcia (26) hits a solo home run against the New York Yankees in the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees defeated the White Sox 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports /

Avisail Garcia is off to a blazing start for the White Sox. But, should fantasy owners believe in his start and make a must-add off the waiver wire?

There are some players that forever look the part of the next big thing. Avisail Garcia falls under that umbrella, as the 26-year-old White Sox OF once carried the label of a budding star. Yet, after injuries and inconsistency, the luster has diminished over the last six years.

But, now that he is off to his best start as a major leaguer, should fantasy owners believe in him off the waiver wire?

Garcia is currently on am absolute tear over the first 13 games of the season. He holds a .440/3 HR/13 RBI/1.161 OPS/22 Hits line and he holds the league lead in AVG, OPS, and Hits. “Mini-Miggy” has he was once nicknamed, has finally looked the part of the player that scouts and fans once expected.

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Outside of health, Garcia’s issues have always been his free swinging ways at the plate and his bloated GB rates. Garcia is not a small dude by no means, he stands at 6’4 and 240 pounds, but he chases pitches out of the zone too much and could not get any loft in his swing.

But, so far in 2017, he has been able to cut his GB rate by 7% from his career norm, increased his FB rate by 8% and is making the most consistent contact at the plate in over three seasons.

Garcia credits his hot start to simplifying his approach and focusing on not doing too much with the ball. He has also shown the ability early on to not flail at every breaking ball down in the zone. It almost seems as though he has figured out his plate approach.

In terms of his fantasy value, the White Sox lineup is off to a very slow start outside of Garcia. He does have 13 RBI, but his counting stats are being hindered some. Playing half his games in Chicago, combined with his increased FB rate, does offer an encouraging sign that 2017 could be the season where his he finally breaks out in the power department.

While it is nearly impossible to deny that Garcia is locked in at the plate, there are still some warning signs. It is a small sample size, but his AVG is being incredibly inflated due to a .543 BABIP. His walk rate is still non-existant, 5% so far in 2017, and his K rate is still right in line with his career norms.

His LD rate is at 21%, the same as in 2016, and he is still swinging and missing at 17% of the pitches he sees. There are a lot of similarities in his batted profile the last two seasons, yet in 2016 he finished with a mediocre .245/12 HR/51 RBI/.692 OPS line, as opposed to his blazing start so far.

These conflicting stats are reminiscent of Garcia’s career. Are we getting sucked in again by the allure of a once lauded prospect or is this simply a hot streak that will eventually see him revert back to his old ways?

For fantasy owners, adding Garcia in the short term makes sense. He is the hottest hitter in MLB and riding while him while he is hot is not the worst idea. But, owners should not expect this to be his breakout season.

Next: Fantasy Baseball Week 3: Injury Report

He is getting more loft in his swing and is showing an improvement in his plate approach, but the warning flags are still hidden in his peripherals.

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