Luis Victoriano García Jr. (born May 16, 2000) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB).

Early life

García's father, Luis Rafael García, is a Dominican-born

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

who briefly reached the major leagues with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

during their 1999 season. Luis Victoriano García was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, but he moved to the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

at the age of 3. At the age of 16, despite being a

U.S. citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Consti ...

, he signed a contract with the Nationals on July 2, 2016, as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic.

Professional career

When he signed with the Nationals in 2016, García accepted a $1.3 million signing bonus, the second-most the Nationals awarded an international player in the 2016 class behind fellow Dominican shortstop Yasel Antuna. ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

'' ranked García as the Nationals' seventh-best prospect before the 2017 season. García made his professional debut in 2017 with the

Gulf Coast League Nationals The Florida Complex League Nationals are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Washington Nationals, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Nationals. The t ...

, appearing as both a

and shortstop during the season and often forming the GCL Nationals' double-play tandem with Antuna. Both players put up batting averages slightly above .300, with García's the better of the two at .302, during their 2017 campaigns. García advanced quickly in the 2018 season, earning a midseason promotion from the Single-A

Hagerstown Suns The Hagerstown Suns were a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland. They were a member of the South Atlantic League and, from 2007 through 2020, were the Class A (baseball), Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They pl ...

to the High-A

Potomac Nationals The Potomac Nationals were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They were situated in Woodbridge, Virginia, and played their home games at Northwest Federal Field at Pfitzner Stadium. After the 2019 season, the team relocated to ...

, and he was the youngest player and the first ever born in the 2000s selected to the

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League- ...

in 2018, playing for Team World against fellow Nationals infield prospect Carter Kieboom and Team USA. García was the youngest player invited to participate in a major league spring training camp in 2019, with the Nationals. He was one of eleven Nationals prospects who played for the

Surprise Saguaros The Surprise Saguaros are a baseball team that plays in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games in Surprise, Arizona, at Surprise Stadium. The ballpark is also the spring training facility of the Kansas City Roya ...

in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season baseball league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled ...

that year, driving in the Saguaros' only run in the championship game versus the

Salt River Rafters The Salt River Rafters are a baseball team that plays in the East Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community near Scottsdale, Arizona. ...

on October 25, 2019. On August 14, 2020, García's contract was selected to the major leagues and he made his debut that day against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

, filling in for the injured

Starlin Castro Starlin DeJesus Castro (born March 24, 1990) is a Dominican professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Miami Marlins and Washington National ...

. Three days later, he became the first MLB player born in the 2000s to hit a home run. Coincidentally, Castro, who he replaced due to injury, was the first MLB player born in the 1990s to hit a home run. García finished his rookie season hitting .276/.302/.366 in 40 games.

2021-2022

On April 6, 2021, García was called up briefly before being optioned back to the Nationals alternate training site on April 12. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

1 day before the minor league season began, on May 3, 2021. He was called up again on May 25, appearing in 2 games at the major league level before being sent back down on May 30. He was recalled yet again on June 16, staying in the majors for just 4 days before returning to Rochester. García was called up for a 4th time during the season on July 29, 2021. He became the Nationals everyday second baseman, following the trades of infielders

Josh Harrison Joshua Isaiah Harrison (born July 8, 1987) is an American former professional baseball utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox ...

and

Trea Turner Trea Vance Turner (born June 30, 1993) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played for the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers. At the internation ...

as well as the suspension and subsequent release of Starlin Castro. He finished 2021 slashing .303/.371/.599 in 37 games at the Triple-A level and .242/.275/.411 in 70 games in MLB. García once again began the 2022 season at Triple-A Rochester. He hit 8 HR along with 32 RBI in 42 games before joining the Nationals on June 1. He recorded his 10th career home run on June 15.

2023

On May 26, 2023, in a 12–10 victory over the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

, García went 6-for-6 at the plate. In doing so, García became the third player in Nationals/Expos history with six hits in a single game, joining

Anthony Rendon Anthony Michael Rendon (, ; born June 6, 1990) is an American baseball third baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played for the Washington Nationals and was a member of the Nationals' 2019 World S ...

(2017) and

Rondell White Rondell Bernard White (born February 23, 1972) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder and designated hitter. In addition to being a solid defensive player, White also had a battin ...

(1995). He ended the season batting .266 with 9 home runs and 50 RBIs.

2024

Before the 2024 season, he changed his official player name to García Jr. The 2024 season was a breakout year for García. He led the team in RBIs with 70, in batting (qualified hitters) with a .282 average, which was 11th best in the National League, had a career-high 18 home runs, 25 doubles, and 22 stolen bases, and was named the Nationals' Player of the Year.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Luis Jr. 2000 births Living people American sportspeople of Dominican Republic descent Baseball players from New York City Gulf Coast Nationals players Hagerstown Suns players Harrisburg Senators players Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball second basemen Potomac Nationals players Rochester Red Wings players Surprise Saguaros players Washington Nationals players