Are you ready for baseball season? If so, you need to keep an eye on Luis García, one of the Houston Astros’ back-end starters. In 2022, the Venezuelan righty won 15 games, threw over 150 innings, and had an ERA below 4.00. Can he repeat or improve his excellent performance in the upcoming campaign? We believe he can, and here’s why.
Firstly, García is now more mature as a pitcher, and has built up more stamina to go longer in games and in the season in general. This could be a significant factor in the upcoming campaign. Additionally, he’s gained more effectiveness with his pitches, including a curveball-changeup-slider mix that was used 28.4% of the time last season.
One of the areas of concern last year was García’s stamina, but it did improve throughout the season. He was able to pitch at least six innings five more times than in 2021, even though he made the same number of starts. Also, he could not complete five innings in six outings in 2021, which happened only three times last year. This points to a trend of improvement in his longevity and consistency throughout the season.
Let’s not forget the impressive performances he had during the last month of each season. In September/October 2022, García finished with a 4-0 record, 29 IP, 7 BB, 25 SO, 0.931 WHIP, 7.8 SO/9, and a 1.86 ERA. On the other hand, in September/October 2021, García had a 1-2 record, 27 IP, 11 BB, 17 SO, 1.519 WHIP, 5.7 SO/9, and a 4.67 ERA.
Moreover, he has shown the ability to perform well in “clutch” situations, as opponents hit for a low .501 OPS against him in high-leverage situations, one of the second-lowest number for any Astros pitcher with at least 70 opponent, high-leverage plate appearances.
The most exciting thing about García is that he gave the Astros a chance even when they had poor run support. In 2021, he posted a 5.25 ERA and a 1.417 WHIP over 36 innings when the Astros scored two or fewer runs. However, in 2022, he showed a significant improvement with a 2.98 ERA and a 1.081 WHIP across 57 1/3 innings pitched. This is an excellent sign for Astros fans.
In conclusion, Luis García is one of the reasons to be excited about the upcoming 2023 season, especially after the Astros let Justin Verlander go. He’s showing improvement in every area and has become a more well-rounded and effective pitcher. So keep an eye out for him and the Astros this season – it could be exciting.
Source: www.crawfishboxes.com