Avisaíl García admits to being a bit surprised to learn that his Milwaukee Brewers had integrated Jackie Bradley Jr. to the already agglomerated outfielder team.
A conversation with the pilot Craig Counsell was enough for the Venezuelan outfielder to understand the logic of the decision and how it could be of help to him.
“We’re fine,” Garcia said Thursday from the Brewers’ preseason camp in Phoenix. “I understood”.
With the addition of Bradley, announced Monday, the Brewers increase to four their contingent of outfielders who were once an All-Star Game. Center fielder Lorenzo Cain returns to action after deciding to remain inactive for most of the 2020 campaign, but is slowly recovering from a quadriceps injury. Christian Yelich, the MVP of 2018, will cover left field.
Counsell, who has not indicated how he will split playing time, understood Garcia’s initial surprise over Bradley’s hiring and said the 29-year-old slugger received it well.
“He was a professional,” Counsell said of Garcia. That’s how I would describe it. He was worried and he was right. I think it was fair. But how we see this is that everyone will have batting turns. It seems to me that everyone will stay productive. I don’t see it as having a fourth gardener, but four gardeners ”.
Garcia, cited for the All-Star Game in 2017 with the Chicago White Sox, has shown his intention to improve his performance that was below normal in the 2020 campaign.
The Venezuelan stated at the beginning of the camp that he weighed 106.5 kilograms (235 pounds) and had lost almost 16 kilograms of what he had.
Garcia, 1.93 meters (6 feet 4 inches) tall, said he played the previous season weighing 116.5 kilograms (257 pounds). He claims that after losing weight, his speed and energy improved.
“I think Avi’s optimism towards the campaign reflects his form at the camp,” Counsell said. “It is evident that he has worked very very hard and has put a lot of effort into preparing it this winter. That in the weight room and the cages. He has worked hard and that work has paid off a lot so far. “
Indeed, Garcia was 14-7 with two home runs in his first six games in the Cactus League.
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