After every home run he hits, Washington Nationals infielder Luis García Jr. taps his wrist where a watch would be.
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It’s to signify that it’s his time, he explained after he hit his career-best 20th home run July 8, to run the bases, to be in the spotlight, to help his team. This season, that’s been the case more than ever. He was hitting .284 with an .871 on-base plus slugging percentage heading into Friday’s game against the Athletics in Sacramento — marks that would be the best of his career over a full season.
The Nationals went 48-49 in the first half of the season — a year after finishing 30 games below .500 — because of improvements across the lineup. Helping to lead that charge was García, the longest-tenured player of the team, who has been with Washington through all the triumphs and tribulations of the last decade. García saw the Nationals win a World Series, tear it all down and slowly rebuild their foundation.
Now, with Washington the edge of competitiveness, he can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“It means a lot to me,” García said through an interpreter. “I’ve been here in this organization through a lot. Just being here present, being here for my teammates, that is really important.”
His journey with the Nationals started in 2016, when he signed as an international free agent for $1.3 million, the second-largest signing bonus in franchise history. He participated in his first major league camp in 2019, then watched the team’s World Series run while playing in the Arizona Fall League later that year.
That excited García for his turn to join the team. Except by the time he debuted midway through the 2020 season, the Nationals had already started their decline. Washington lost at least 91 games for the next five seasons. In 2022, the team went 55-107 to set a Nationals record for losses.
There were lessons even in those hard times, though. García was barely 20 when he debuted. It wasn’t until the 2024 season, four years later, that he truly felt like he was mature enough to do what it takes to be a successful major league player.
Before that season, he would show up, swing the bat a few times, then play. But in 2024, he developed a routine and started to take his cage work more seriously. The results followed his hard work — he hit .282 with 18 home runs in 140 games, all the best marks of his career. Until this year, that is.
When he arrived at spring training this year, the first under a new front office and coaching staff, things just felt different, he said. The leadership was serious yet loose, a vibe that rubbed off quickly on the clubhouse — including García.
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It’s how García likes to handle himself as well. He likes to have fun, whether it be dancing, egging on his teammates (he and shortstop CJ Abrams love their trash talk) or doing elaborate handshakes. But he also knows when to focus.
“I feel as a group that got contagious, and it, of course, motivated us to work hard and everything as a group,” he said. “But it all started with them.”
Earlier in camp, Manager Blake Butera took García aside and told him what he thinks makes the infielder special — and what he can improve. García has incredible hand-eye coordination, Butera told him, but he was not shrinking the zone, walking enough or keying in on the pitches he could punish.
“I think his greatest strength is that he can hit everything,” Butera said. “I think his greatest weakness is that he can hit everything. … When he is able to simplify his approach and not focus on just balls he can hit but balls he can drive, then you see the results that we are seeing right now.”
But that wasn’t just a talk the two had once. Every time Butera passed García in a hallway, entered a batting cage the 26-year-old was hitting in or stood by him during fielding work, Butera whispered in his ear and reminded him of his potential.
Butera told García that he had the tools to be one of the best hitters in MLB. Now, they are seeing that play out. García’s 15 home runs since June 5 lead the majors. He’s attacking not just fastballs at the top of the zone, which have always been his bread and butter, but also breaking balls.
He’s walking more, too; he has 15, on track to best his career high of 27. Plus he’s beating Keibert Ruiz in that category — and the two are in a competition to see who can walk more. (The prize is still to be determined.)
Now that García has achieved a career goal by hitting the 20-homer mark, his focus is on continuing to improve, in the box score and beyond.
“I guess people see the numbers and they think that’s what you’re most proud of,” he said. “But for me personally, I think it’s just how much I’ve matured over the years, being a great teammate and just being a great person.”
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