ARLINGTON — Mitch Garver’s table at MLB World Series media day Thursday at Globe Life Field was one of the busiest among Rangers not named Corey, Marcus, Adolis or Max.
For one thing: her abdomen might be a hot topic worth investigating. Garver took a fastball in the ribs from Houston’s Bryan Abreu in Game 7 of the ALCS on Monday; X-rays came back negative for a fracture, and the 32-year-old reiterated Thursday that he feels fine.
On the other hand: Garver, in his second season with the Rangers, was one of Texas’ most consistent hitters in the second half of the season and into October. This will generate some interest.
It will also cap a second year at Arlington that Garver described as such.
“It’s been interesting,” Garver said.
Interesting. Yeah, good word. A quick recap of Garver’s first season with the Rangers in 2022: Texas acquired him from the Minnesota Twins one day after the MLB lockout ended. His elbow seemed perfectly healthy at the time; then he hit just .207 in 54 regular season games, spent more time as a designated hitter than as a catcher and opted for season-ending forearm surgery in July.
Garver arrived at spring training 2023 – the first under Bruce Bochy – with clean bill of health, a more balanced swing and, most importantly, a chance for a fresh start.
“We’re all looking forward to spring 2023, I feel healthy, we’re on track, we have a bunch of new players and…”
And, while rounding second base against the Chicago Cubs on April 8, he twisted his knee. Back on injured list – this time with a left knee sprain – again. He missed 47 games, and by the time he returned to the Rangers’ then-historic offense on June 2, he had been out for nearly three times as many games (155) as he had played (60 ) since joining the Rangers.
Back to square one. Let’s just get back to when we got back. Back to his rediscovery as a baseball player.
“I had to believe that I still had the ability to be a good player, because sometimes that doubt creeps in a little bit, whether you can still do it or not,” Garver said.
“I posted an outlier in 2019. “Will I ever be able to do this again?” Will I ever go back to who I was?’
That year – 2019 – earned Garver a Silver Slugger Award. He recorded career highs in home runs (31), batting average (.273), slugging (.630) and OPS (.995). His offensive WAR of 4.1 was the highest of any catcher in baseball.
He joined a premier team in June after four years and had two considerable injuries taken out of his career year. The question facing Garver once again, as it was during spring training, was how could he get back to that peak?
Stop.
At least that’s what Rangers offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker said.
“If you try to solve the problems of 2019 in 2023, you’re going to show up and not have a solution,” Ecker said Thursday.
Ecker, 37, had already seen this in veteran players during his previous coaching stop in San Francisco. When Father Time or injuries catch up with them, they scratch and claw to return to the form in which they once thrived. So Ecker challenged Garver.
“We actually challenged him to not look back, but to move forward,” Ecker said.
It really started in the offseason, when the Rangers coaching staff “challenged” Garver with his batting, coaching and mechanics. Ecker said they will receive text messages and videos almost every day with updates on Garver’s progress.
“He took the strengths of what made him good in the past, but he actually added some solutions that he didn’t have in the past,” Ecker said. “I think that’s what makes him dangerous, he can now keep hitting for the next four, five, six years.”
Garver, informed of Ecker’s comments Thursday, seemed sentimental.
“They believed in me maybe more than I believed in myself,” Garver said. “Whether it’s skills, physical, approach or mental. Even though I didn’t feel good in 2022, they believed I could still be the same player or even better.
Better might be the best way to describe Garver’s second half. He slashed .302/.394/.628 with eight homers and anchored the Texas lineup during the most unpredictable month of the regular season. He slashed .276/.400/.494 with six more home runs in September.
Now, if Garver had his nerves, he would still be an everyday receiver. His career numbers are better when he plays on the field. He feels more engaged in the game when he does. Jonah Heim’s emergence this season as a Gold Glove catcher made this tricky, but Garver’s second-half performance at designated hitter helped turn the major weakness of Texas’ lineup into a strength; the Rangers posted a .661 OPS – the sixth-lowest mark in baseball – at the designated hitter spot in the first half. He climbed to .770 in the second half of the regular season.
“It was pretty satisfying to do that,” Garver said. “It’s not my favorite role, but it’s a role I’ve gotten used to.”
Just in time for the postseason, where Garver and his teammates now find themselves four wins away from the franchise’s first World Series title. Garver – who replaced Robbie Grossman on the bench for the first three games of the playoffs – played as big a role as almost anyone.
His postseason OPS of .897 ranks fifth on the Rangers. His 11 RBIs rank second behind right fielder Adolis Garcia (20) and fifth among all hitters in the league in the postseason. His grand slam in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Baltimore Orioles anchored a commanding series lead. He had four hits – a double and a home run – in Games 6 and 7 of the ALCS against the Houston Astros.
“It’s been an absolute joy to be able to contribute, hasn’t it? » said Garver. “Since the All-Star break, I’ve contributed in every way I can, gotten back to the player I knew I could be.”
Who knew? All it took was to think a little less of the player he once was.
This one could be even better.
On Twitter/X: @McFarland_Shawn
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