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Boston Globe

Growing status of Red Sox prospect Jhostynxon Garcia trending to a promising future

Garcia's ascent has been rapid, and his participation in a showcase event for the top prospects in baseball reinforced that sense. Advertisement 'You can't put a name on the sort of hard work I've been doing,' said Garcia, who went 0 for 2 with a pair of strikeouts as the AL prospects fell to their National League counterparts, 4-2. 'Just a few years ago, I was at a very low level, and now with all the work that I've put in, especially being where I'm at right now, it's very special.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up When the Red Sox signed Garcia as a 16-year-old out of Venezuela in 2019, he distinguished himself on the baseball field. His defensive style while gliding in the outfield and often catching the ball in stride at his hip — 'Like Willie Mays,' enthused Garcia — commanded notice. 'It's not even flair. It's being extremely confident. He was a natural defender,' said Red Sox assistant GM Eddie Romero. 'That — and he's one of the few guys that we saw hit a ball out of one of the professional stadiums – [caught the Sox' attention]. That also helps.' Advertisement Yet Garcia's hints of offensive ability as an amateur rarely showed up in games at the start of his professional career, and he moved deliberately through the lower levels of the minors. After he hit .230/.329/.374 in Single A Salem in 2023, he repeated the level to open the 2024 campaign. 'This guy was the fourth outfielder in Salem at the start of last year,' Red Sox farm director Brian Abraham recently observed with a shake of the head. But when the Sox started offering year-round training for prospects in Fort Myers, Fla., after the 2023 season, Garcia became an eager participant. He added significant strength in the 2023-24 offseason and also made some mechanical adjustments to drive the ball more frequently. That set the stage for a breakthrough season in 2024 — he hit .286/.356/.536 with 23 homers in a year split across Salem, High A Greenville, and Double A Portland. He tapped into previously unexplored power. This year, he's focused on improving his swing decisions, which have helped him to hit .277/.365/.472 with 12 homers — including a .292/.373/.532 line with nine longballs in 40 games since his late-May promotion to Triple A Worcester. In so doing, Garcia has reinforced the impression that he's made considerable progress in his career,his reputation now preceding him. 'He is taking some pitches where I'm like, 'OK, he swung at that last year. He would chase there,'' said WooSox defensive coach Iggy Suarez, who managed Garcia last year in High A Greenville. 'I think he's starting to realize and understand what pitchers are going to do to him. Because we always say, 'Hey, as much as we do our homework on the pitchers that we're going to face, they're doing the same thing against guys like you. This isn't the first time they're going to hear about the 'Password." They know who you are.'' Advertisement Garcia seems to be thriving with his growing status. While he's not seeking attention, he also seems very comfortable as his play and style garners notice. 'He's not hotdogging either. It's not like he's [making basket catches] trying to be flashy. He just has the ability to do it,' said Suarez. 'He embraces [playing with style]. I'm not saying he craves attention, but he's okay with it. The whole 'Password' thing, he's like, 'I kind of like it.' That's cool.' Indeed, he welcomes the idea of gaining notice — with a growing sense of excitement that he has a chance to become (to the best of his knowledge) the first player from the Venezuelan state of Apure to reach the big leagues. Garcia, whose younger brother Johanfran is a catcher in the Sox system, has openly discussed planting a flag for his region since his days as an amateur. He wears an arm sleeve with the flag of the state, and describes the idea of being the first big leaguer from there as 'definitely important.' The possibility of a call-up is growing ever more real. Garcia was added to the 40-man roster last offseason, and his performance this year in the minors has given the righthanded power hitter the look of a player with a chance to contribute soon. Advertisement 'You see a guy that could go up and help all 30 clubs on both sides of the ball — on the defensive side in all three [outfield] spots, at the top of the order and middle of the order with his bat-to-ball [skills] and with his [ability to impact the ball], and on the bases as well,' said Abraham. Garcia's outlook? 'We're ready. We're ready,' he said. 'We're just waiting for the call.' Alex Speier can be reached at