García’s Power Surge Shakes Trade Rumors | Washington Nationals News

**Corey** (0:00)
It's August 2nd, this is Washington Nationals News Today, powered by AI Everything Happening With Your Team. I'm Corey with the story. Yo, so the Nationals might be looking to make some moves before the trade deadline Monday evening. Initially, everyone was talking about CJ Abrams or Foster Griffin as potential pieces to move.
But lately, first baseman Luis García Jr. has been putting on a show, and now he's the name buzzing around the league. This 26-year-old who's been with the team the longest really turned his game around. Just three years ago, he was sent down to AAA because his performance was all over the place. But a new front office and coaching staff decided to switch him from second base to first, and it wasn't just his defense that got better. García's numbers this season are way up. He's hitting for power with a career high 23 home runs in 76 RBIs in 10 of four games. He's even ranking high in the National League for slugging and RBIs. Compare that to last year, where he hit 16 homers and 66 RBIs in 39 games. It's a clear jump. The manager mentioned that García worked on his bat speed and really bought into the training. He's hitting the ball harder and more consistently with a career high barrel rate, which means he's connecting with the ball in the sweet spot more.
Often, this leads to more extra base hits, and he's already surpassed last year's total in fewer games.
Ultimately, García can't control the trade rumors, but he's definitely controlled what he can on the field. All the credit goes to him for being willing to put in the work, try new things, and dedicate himself to improving his game.