Why the Phillies Expect An Adolis García Resurgence in 2026
While the Philadelphia Phillies let one of the most disappointing playoff series in franchise history slip away, Adolis Garcia caught fire on the other side of the bracket. The hulking…
While the Philadelphia Phillies let one of the most disappointing playoff series in franchise history slip away, Adolis Garcia caught fire on the other side of the bracket. The hulking Cuban outfielder crushed five home runs and drove in 15 runs to win the 2023 American League Championship Series MVP.
The Texas Ranger lifted the Commissioner’s Trophy nine days later. Garcia’s World Series performance put the exclamation point on his best MLB season at age 30. He set regular-season career highs in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, OPS, and WAR.
| Adolis Garcia | Batting Average | On-Base Percentage | Slugging Percentage | OPS+ | Home Runs | RBI |
| 2018-22* | .243 | .290 | .449 | 103 | 29 | 95 |
| 2023 | .245 | .328 | .508 | 127 | 39 | 107 |
| 2024-25* | .225 | .278 | .397 | 96 | 25 | 90 |
| MLB Average in 2025 | .245 | .315 | .404 | 100 | -- | -- |
Why did Garcia fade from one of the game’s best hitters in 2023 into very ordinary numbers the past two seasons? Hitters who reach career highs across the board naturally regress in most cases, but the Phillies believe better plate discipline will help the 33-year-old recapture his best form.
“He needs to be more under control with his swing. We don’t need him to hit the ball out of the ballpark on every swing… Our hitting coaches – to me, that’s one of the things they do very well with working with individuals. So, to me, it’s a matter of not trying to do too much… The tools are there. The ball jumps off his bat still.”
-Dave Dombrowski
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesGarcia ranked in the 10th percentile of qualified MLB hitters last season with a 35.8% chase rate. He finished just below the MLB median at 29.3% in his career year in 2023. The Phillies expect Kevin Long’s input to land well with the right-handed slugger in the way that it didn’t with fellow free swinger Nick Castellanos.
They also expect a strong throwing arm and better range in right field will help upgrade the position after underwhelming offensive and defensive production in 2025.
Garcia leads the majors with 48 outfield assists since 2021, the season he became a full-time player with Texas. The Phillies ranked 19th in outfield assists during the five-year span.
Larry Bowa also told Bill Colarulo and Ricky Bottalico on Unfiltered about the possibility that ballpark factors will help boost Garcia’s home run total this season. StatCast ranks Citizens Bank Park as the 11th-best yard for hitters among 28 MLB ballparks and Globe Life Field in Arlington 27th.
The organization's decision to pay Castellanos nearly $20 million not to play for the Phillies dominated the headlines, but John Middleton also wrote a $10 million for a reclamation project as the replacement in right field.
Will the additional financial investment in Adolis Garcia pay off for the 2026 Phillies?
All stats courtesy of StatCast, Baseball Reference, and FanGraphs. WAR formula from Baseball Reference.
