Leury Garcia

The White Sox began the 2020 season with Garcia at second base. When Tim Anderson hit the IL with a strained groin Aug. 1, Garcia shifted over to shortstop, opening the door for Nick Madrigal at the keystone. Garcia would end up going down with an injury of his own a couple weeks later -- a severed ligament in his thumb, which required surgery to repair. Chicago activated Garcia for the Wild Card Round and Garcia went 0-for-6 with three strikeouts, but the team still picked up his $3.5 million option for 2021. Garcia could move out to the outfield to start this season, but he will probably end up moving around as he usually does, providing good bat-to-ball skills and speed to help make up for limited on-base skills (career 3.8 BB%). He's shortstop-only on draft day in most leagues.

After injuries limited him to fewer than 90 games in both 2017 and 2018, Garcia appeared in a career-high 140 contests and hit .279 in 618 plate appearances in 2019. He opened the season as the White Sox's starting center fielder and spent most of his time hitting atop the order despite an abysmal walk rate (3.4%), which resulted in a team-high 93 runs. While Garcia swiped a career-high 15 bases, he failed to hit double-digit home runs (8) even with the uptick in opportunities, as his power was essentially non-existent (2.5% barrels/PA, .099 ISO). The majority of Garcia's appearances came in the outfield, though he also made a handful of starts around the infield (16 at shortstop, two at third base and one at second). Garcia's versatility coupled with his below-average bat (83 wRC+) make him best suited for a utility role.

Garcia broke camp with the White Sox in a utility role, but knee and hamstring injuries limited him to fewer than 90 games for a second consecutive season. When healthy, the switch hitter primarily played outfield and slashed .271/.303/.376 with four homers and a career-best 12 stolen bases (13 attempts) in 275 plate appearances. His plate discipline could still use some work (25.1 K%, 3.3 BB%), but Garcia possesses a modest combination of power and (more so) speed that could be useful in AL-only formats if an injury opens the door for regular playing time. Garcia is expected to reprise his utility role to begin 2019.

A strong spring, defensive versatility and an injury to Charlie Tilson paved the way for Garcia to break camp with the White Sox. After Jacob May struggled early, Garcia took over in center field, slashing 298/.345/.459 until landing on the disabled list with a sprained left finger in mid-June. Garcia returned in late July, playing regularly until September 1 when he was felled by another hand injury, this time a sprained thumb, ending the season at .270/.316/.423 as regression inevitably kicked in. For the season, Garcia was a disappointing 8-for-13 as a base stealer, since he was known more for speed than pop. Chances are, if Garcia hadn’t gotten hurt, his slide would have continued, as his .321 BABIP was not supported by a hard hit rate well below league average. Long-term, Garcia profiles as a reserve, able to handle all three outfield spots plus middle infield. In 2018, he may start in the outfield by default, rendering him an asset in AL-only.

Garcia's 2016 season was very similar to his 2015 showing, albeit with some small improvements. After nearly cracking the Opening Day roster, the super-utility player spent the bulk of the year with Triple-A Charlotte, improving his slash line from the year prior. He even posted a career-high seven percent walk rate while continuing to strike out less than 20 percent of the time. This performance earned him another September callup, and although his .229 batting line seems less than impressive, the reality is that he performed well enough on the defensive side of things that he managed to garner a sizable amount of playing time at the end of the season. That being said, until Garcia can consistently hit at the major league level, he will likely remain merely a utility player.

Garcia spent the majority of 2014 in a utility role for the White Sox, but he spent nearly all of 2015 in the same role for Triple-A Charlotte where he played every position except first base and catcher. At the plate, Garcia remains a weak-contact, low-strikeout batter with a stolen-base prowess that has yet to translate to the majors. He should contend for a utility role in camp, but it is more than likely he spends a good amount of time back at Charlotte.

Garcia broke camp as a utility player and filled that role for the entire season. He wound up playing every position except catcher and first base, but his lack of a viable bat prevented him from seeing extended playing time, even when regulars went down with injury. His best tool for fantasy purposes is his speed, but he will need to get on base more frequently to make it useable. Garcia will compete for a utility role in spring training, with the opportunity to see more time at second if he can bring the bat around.

Garcia made the Rangers' Opening Day roster, but he quickly got crowded out once Jurickson Profar arrived and Ian Kinsler got healthy. Hence, it was no surprise he was the main piece sent to the White Sox to acquire Alex Rios. He spent the season's final six weeks as a utility player, frequently served as a defensive sub in the infield and outfield. Garcia's defense and wheels are by far his best tools, and it is unclear if he will ever hit well enough to use that second tool, but the defense alone could earn him a reserve role on the Sox in 2014, while his chances of seeing a more prominent role may hinge on the presence of Alexei Ramirez.

Garcia is largely overshadowed by uber-prospect Jurickson Profar in the Texas system, and for good reason, but Garcia possesses major-league ready defense at a premium position and could be attractive trade bait if nothing else. Generously listed at 5-foot-7, Garcia's offense will be severely limited, but his slash-and-dash approach, combined with his glove, should get him a job as a utility infielder at the very least. He didn't have the bat knocked out of his hands at Double-A Frisco, racking up 12 doubles and 11 triples in 100 games, though he fanned 79 times. If he can learn to use his speed effectively from the batters box, there's a light-hitting, slick-fielding, stolen-base threat for a second division club needing a shortstop. It just won't be with Texas.