Avi shows off 'real power,' homers in 1st AB as Marlin
Christina De Nicola
@cdenicola13JUPITER, Fla. -- While the Marlins made moves to add another major power threat to the lineup on Saturday, their first big signing of the offseason made an immediate impact in their 10-2 win over the Astros at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
In his first at-bat in a Miami uniform, Avisa¨Şl Garc¨Şa sent a hanging curveball from Astros prospect Jimmy Endersby to the Marlins' facility behind the left-center field wall for a three-run homer. It had the game's second-highest exit velocity (108.6 mph) and distance (449 feet).
"You've seen it right away, just what he does instantly," manager Don Mattingly said. "Gets us three quick runs and that danger. Avi's going to be good for us. He's one of the guys that the ballpark doesn't matter. He's got real power. Not hitting scrapers, so when he hits them, they're going to go."
Added third baseman Brian Anderson, who belted a three-run shot of his own: "Even if he's not hitting those every single day, his presence in the lineup -- he's a great at-bat every single day, and he's obviously got an enormous amount of power. We're obviously excited to just watch him put that on display."
The 30-year-old veteran entered the Hot Stove season with the second-highest WAR (3.6) among free-agent right fielders, slashing .262/.330/.490 with a 117 adjusted OPS+ and a career-high 29 homers and 86 RBIs in 135 games for the Brewers. And Statcast backed up the Anaco, Venezuela, native's production: He reached a peak exit velocity of 116.7 mph (98th percentile in MLB), made hard contact on 46.4% of his balls in play (78th percentile), barreled 12.2% of those batted balls (80th percentile) and averaged a sprint speed of 28.7 feet per second (88th percentile).
Signing "Mini Miggy" was a big get for the Marlins, who ranked toward the bottom of offensive categories like OPS, homers and runs. Inked to the longest free-agent contract issued by the current ownership group (four years, $53 million), Garc¨Şa immediately fortified the middle of the order. On Saturday, he batted in the cleanup spot, sandwiched between Garrett Cooper and Jes¨²s Aguilar in a lineup with all its regulars except second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. and catcher Jacob Stallings.
"They take pitches, and they know how to hit," Garc¨Şa said. "That's why they're here, and I'm glad they're with us."
By adding Garc¨Şa, and ideally getting healthy years from the likes of Cooper, Aguilar and third baseman Brian Anderson, the Marlins expect to send out a longer lineup for opposing pitchers. He's poised to get more help strengthening and lengthening Miami's lineup, with the Marlins and reigning World Series MVP Jorge Soler agreeing to terms on a three-year, $36 million deal after Saturday's game, according to sources.
On Saturday, left-handed-hitting Jes¨²s S¨˘nchez (.808 OPS in 2021) batted seventh; Mattingly said he won't be that far down in the order during the season.
"We've got a lot of young guys that are mixed in with a good core of veteran guys," said Anderson, who had a 112 OPS+ from 2018-20. "As an offense, we're just trying to find that identity, we're trying to get good pitches. We're trying to pick them out and put good swings on them. Obviously, so far the last few days, we've been able to do that, and we're just trying to keep building on that until the season and keep it rolling from there."