Let him walk

What a night of baseball! What game! What a time to decide the first battle of the 2023 World Series Rangers vs D-Backs! There were 242 minutes of pure action and tension, with two teams loaded with talent. Yes, although it is an unprecedented World Series, I am sure that October promises. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy each column. I will write stories for paid subscribers, and we will extend coverage in this Fall Classic.

“All or nothing,” was the title of my column on October 6, when the Texas Rangers swept the Rays 2-0 in the American League Wild Card Series to advance to the Division Series against the Orioles.

Of course, it's about that haunting rhythm you see in the hands and eyes of Cuban Adolis García when he steps into the batter's box. His aggressiveness as a hitter is like the kind of labels you can easily see before reviewing the product.

He can never hide his voracious instinct for attacking pitches. That's always been his nature as a hitter since he broke out as a star in the National Series in the mid-2010s. It's no secret in baseball. We all know. But particularly, Adolis is the first to know of his devotion to hitting the ball. Yes, his over-swinging indeed includes choosing sometimes unreachable pitches. That's part of the routine for a slugger. Even so, experiencing the “all or nothing” philosophy over and over again leads to great moments also arriving.

For that reason, I don't think frequent strikeouts should essentially be singled out as a hitter's weakness. If anything, I would say that a hitter's serious problem could be his inability to walk. Today, there are many hitters who have once again given up striking out. However, how can we explain this?: Adolis García stands out as the most sensational hitter in these playoffs, and he had not recorded a walk in his first 54 plate appearances. He had also struck out 16 times, which represented 46% of his strikeouts before reaching the World Series.

As I said before, I know that Adolis' philosophy probably doesn't correspond to the best role model, but at his pace, he is putting together a surprising collection of epic at-bats in these playoffs. Those decisive hits have led the Rangers to almost unexpected victories, and a return to the World Series after 12 years. Isn't that the main expectation of every competitor, every franchise, and what every fan expects? There is no doubt about that!