Should the Miami Marlins bench this starter?
As we get ready for the second game of the so-far disappointing series between the Miami Marlins and the Philadelphia Phillies.... We shake our heads as another pitcher is injured. There's also a player that has been hurting the Miami Marlins lineup too much. It's time to accept that RF Avisail Garcia was a terrible signing and that it's time to take some drastic action. What can The Fish do? Bench him.
Avisail Garcia should no longer start for the Miami Marlins.
I'll start off by saying that I know that it almost certainly won't happen. A lot of money (by Miami Marlins standards) has been invested in Avisail Garcia. He's going to be paid $12 million a year for 2024 and 2025, and there's a $12 million club option on him for 2026, with a $5 million buyout. He's not going anywhere until then, but at some point Kim Ng has to ask herself about what's more important? Is it winning or not wasting useless players the priority?
Avi was a streaky player with flashes of good performance throughout his career. He debuted in 2012 with the Detroit Tigers and batted a promising .319/.373/.319 in 23 games and 47 AB. He split 2013 between Detroit and the Chicago White Sox, when he batted .283/.309/.422 in 72 games and 244 AB. He spent 2014-2018 with the Chicago White Sox and batted .268/.322/.423 in 543 games and 2012 AB. His best season was in 2017, when he batted .330/.380/.506 with 18 home runs and 80 RBI in 136 games and 518 AB. He was disappointing in his final season on the team however, with a .236/.281/.438 batting line along with 19 home runs and 49 RBI in 93 games and 356 AB.
Avisail Garcia moved on to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019, with a .282/.332/.464 batting line along with 20 home runs and 72 RBI in 125 games and 489 AB. He crashed in 2020 with the Milwaukee Brewers, batting .238/.333/.326. He had a nice platform year with a .262/.330/.490 batting line with 29 home runs and 86 RBI in 135 games and 461 AB. He's been a complete disaster for the Miami Marlins however, batting .224/.266/.317 with 8 home runs and 25 RBI in 98 games and 357 AB in 2022. He's currently batting .103/.161/.207 with a home run and an RBI in 9 games and 31 AB.
Avi has an 89.1 EV and keeps hitting grounders, currently producing a 55.0 GB%. That's terrible and he doesn't hit fly balls as much as he used to. He hit just 43.7% and 39.1% of fly balls the last two seasons. I just don't see any signs that he will turn things around. Some people may say that it's too early, but it's time to make drastic changes.