Avisail Garcia dragged the White Sox into the bog of arbitration after avoiding the process since 2001. Garcia won his arbitration hearing and will earn $6.7 million in 2018 after a breakout season in 2017. Garcia joins Yolmer Sanchez as the other player to win his arbitration hearing this year earning $2.35 million in 2018.
avisail will be paid the 6.7M he proposed rather than the 5.85M proposed by the team
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 14, 2018
The White Sox filed at $5.85 million and their rationale, although not explicitly stated, would appear to follow a narrative of inconsistent results. Garcia was a promising prospect when the South Siders acquired him in 2013, but he struggled to reach the ceiling many projected him to have.
Last season was an altogether different story for the hulking 26-year-old. Garcia turned in career numbers across the board including home runs (18), batting average (.330) and runs batted in (80). Many critics called for a return to earth after Gacia shot out of the gates in April and May of last season, but his blistering BABIP (.392) never faltered. One could make the argument that his BABIP is what earned him this arbitration ruling, especially given the strong, consistent contact.
Still, Avi would be a disappointment if he didn’t boost his power numbers. For a guy as physically imposing as he is to only have 18 home runs and 80 RBI would be amiss. But given the state of the franchise, Garcia could swiftly become a trade commodity if he shows a faint glimmer of what he did last season.
