Adolis García

García played for Ciego de Ávila of the Cuban National Series from 2011 into 2016.[1]

On April 20, 2016, García signed with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball.[2][3] García played for the Cuban national team at the 2015 Pan American Games.

García defected from Cuba in 2016.[4] He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in February 2017, receiving a non-roster invitation to spring training.[5] He spent 2017 with both the Springfield Cardinals of the Class AA Texas League and the Memphis Redbirds of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League, posting a combined .290 batting average with 15 home runs and 65 runs batted in (RBIs) between both clubs.[6]

García began the 2018 season with Memphis. The Cardinals promoted him to the major leagues on August 6.[7] In 112 games for Memphis, he batted .256 with 22 home runs, 71 RBIs, and ten stolen bases, and in 21 games for St. Louis, he hit .118.[8]

García was designated for assignment on December 18, 2019.[9]

On December 21, 2019, García was traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for cash considerations.[10] In 2020 for the Rangers, García recorded only six at-bats, and went hitless on the year.[11] On February 10, 2021, García was designated for assignment after the signing of Mike Foltynewicz was made official.[12] On February 12, García was outrighted and invited to spring training as a non-roster invitee.[13]

On April 13, 2021, García was selected to the active roster after Ronald Guzmán was placed on the injured list.[14] García was named the American League Rookie of the Month for May 2021 after hitting .312 with a .633 slugging percentage and 11 home runs.[15] García was named as a reserve for the American League in the 2021 MLB All-Star Game,[16] and went one-for-two with a double in the game.[17] In 2021, García batted .243/.286/.454/.740 and led all rookies with 90 RBIs and 59 extra-base hits. He also hit 31 home runs and tied for the league lead with 16 outfield assists.

Over 156 games for Texas in 2022, García hit .250/.300/.456/.756 with 27 home runs, 101 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases.[18]

On April 22, 2023, against the Oakland Athletics, García had five hits, including two doubles and three home runs, and drove in eight runs.[19] With this, he became the fourth person in MLB history to hit three home runs and two doubles in one game.[20] García was named as a reserve for the American League in the 2023 MLB All-Star Game, the second selection of his career.[21] On September 8, García suffered a right knee patella tendon strain but missed only 10 games.[22] In 148 total games in 2023, García hit .245/.328/.508/.836 with 39 home runs, 107 RBI, and 9 stolen bases.[23]

In 2023, despite losing the division to the Astros on the final day of the regular season, the Rangers upset the Rays and Orioles to make it to the ALCS to play Houston. Over the final four games of the series, García homered five times. In Game 5 García hit lead-changing a three-run home run to put Texas up 4-2. In the bottom of the eighth, Garcia was at the center of a benches-clearing incident after he was hit by a Bryan Abreu fastball, resulting in his ejection from the game and a fine.[24] Houston ended up winning 5-4. In Game 6 in Houston, with Texas in a must-win situation, he hit a grand slam in the top of the ninth despite striking out four times that day.[25] In Game 7, an 11-4 blowout in favor of Texas, García homered twice and drove in five runs. Over the series, García set a record with 15 RBIs in a postseason series and was named the ALCS Most Valuable Player.[26]