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Milwaukee Brewers: Avisail Garcia Looks to Carry Hot Bat from May to June

By Paul Bretl

May 30, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Avisail Garcia (24) rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run against the Washington Nationals in the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
May 30, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Avisail Garcia (24) rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run against the Washington Nationals in the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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For much of the season, the Milwaukee Brewers’ offense has been floundering. Basically, pick a major offensive statistical category, and there is a very good chance that as a team, they rank near the bottom of baseball—although, to their credit, they have been trending in the right direction recently.

However, one of the bright spots for the Milwaukee Brewers from the month of May was the play of Avisail Garcia.

Garcia signed a two-year deal with Milwaukee prior to the 2020 season worth $20 million and includes a club option for a third year. But like many batters last season, Garcia struggled, slashing .238/.333/.326 with an OPS+ of 78.

Over the offseason, Brewers hitting coach Andy Haines spent time with Garcia trying to figure out how he could improve upon his down 2020 season. On top of that, Garcia reported to Spring Training 36 pounds lighter than what he had played at a year ago.

Unfortunately, the start of the new 2021 season still came with similar struggles—actually, it was worse. Through the month of April — albeit, a small sample size — Garcia had a .609 OPS and had struck out 26 times in just 82 at-bats; if you’re without your calculator, that’s a strikeout rate of almost 32 percent.

But oh, how quickly things can change in baseball. The month of May was a completely different story for Garcia.

After a very slow start to the season, in 26 games in the month of May, which included 22 starts and 86 at-bats, Garcia slashed .291/.344/.570, totaling a .914 OPS, with seven home runs, which were the most on the team during that span. He also tallied three doubles, five walks, and struck out less frequently, although admittedly, it was still a bit on the high side.

As a result of Garcia’s strong month at the plate, his overall numbers are now looking much better as well. His OPS is up to .764, his OPS+ is above the league average by seven percent at 107, not to mention that his hard-hit rate, average exit velocity, xSLG, xBA, and xwOBA are all well above league average, according to Baseball Savant.

Currently, the Milwaukee Brewers are 29-26, three games behind the first place Chicago Cubs. As I mentioned initially, the offense has been trending in the right direction as of late, averaging 4.8 runs per game over the last six games. But in order to sustain that success, they’ll need continued consistency throughout the lineup, and having Garcia carry that momentum over into the month of June will go a long way in helping provide that.

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