Houston Astros last year was the emergence of starting pitcher Luis Garcia. The right-han..."/> Houston Astros last year was the emergence of starting pitcher Luis Garcia. The right-han..."/>

Houston Astros: What to watch from Luis Garcia in 2022

(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
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Houston Astros, Luis Garcia
Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Luis Garcia must figure out lefties

Garcia has been dominant against right-handed hitters throughout the early part of his career, but this has not been the case against lefties. He routinely found himself in trouble last year when guys stepped up on the left side of the plate. Of the roughly 400 left-handed batters he’s faced, Garcia gave up a .278 batting average and 0.829 OPS – that’s a 141 tOPS; he has a tOPS 81 against right-handed hitters.

So far this season Garcia’s faced 26 left-handed batters in two starts, giving up a WHIP of 1.11 with five hits, five strike outs and a current OPS of .610. That’s pretty good, but keep in mind one of those starts was against the Arizona Diamondbacks, which is not exactly an offensive juggernauts.

It’s probably not fair to expect him to keep his .600 OPS against lefties throughout the season, but the further away he is from that career .830 OPS the better.