Brewers' 'Mini Miggy' a mighty boost to lineup 

PHOENIX -- Lorenzo Cain was chatting through the fence with some Brewers fans the other day about Avisaíl García. Cain was speaking for everyone at American Family Fields of Phoenix when he gave his scouting report on the newest member of Milwaukee’s outfield.

“Yep, he’s a big boy,” Cain said.

García is 6-foot-4, 250 pounds in the Brewers' media guide, but it requires seeing him in person to appreciate just how imposing a figure the 28-year-old cuts. Cain predicted “a bunch of homers,” but two of the men who know García best after watching him play for years in a Chicago White Sox uniform say the Brewers got more than a slugger when they signed García to a two-year deal with a club option for a third season.

Here’s the scouting report from two of the White Sox officials who have seen García at his best in the big leagues:

Rick Hahn, White Sox GM

“He is a large human,” said Hahn, who was promoted to his position in 2013, the year Chicago traded for García. “But an athletic large human. Despite his size, despite how he’s put together like a tight end if he grew up in the States, he’s quick. He will surprise you. When he smells a hit on a ground ball by the bag to a second baseman or in the hole at short, you will see him get down the line. He can get after it despite the size.”

García’s five-tool talent earned him the nickname “Mini Miggy” when he was a top prospect with Miguel Cabrera’s Detroit Tigers, including a stint alongside Cabrera in the 2012 World Series when García was a 21-year-old rookie. The Tigers signed García out of Venezuela and gave him his first taste of the big leagues before shipping him to Chicago in a three-team blockbuster at the 2013 Trade Deadline.

García spent the next six years with the White Sox, fighting injuries in 2014 and '16 before batting .330 and making the American League All-Star team in '17. Then he struggled with more injuries -- hamstring and right knee -- in '18 and departed for a one-year deal with the Rays for '19.

All told, García is a .273/.323/.428 hitter with 96 home runs in 3,027 Major League plate appearances.

Hahn remembers one moment in particular. It was at Fenway Park, late 2013 or in '14. The bullpens there are side-by-side in right field, with Boston’s further toward center in the deepest part of the park. García deposited a home run there.

“Ben Cherington was the GM of the Red Sox at the time, and he texted me right away saying, ‘I’ve never seen a right-handed hitter put a ball in there in a game. In BP, yeah. But never in a game,’” Hahn said. “When [García] is right, he’s fun to watch.”

Rick Renteria, White Sox manager

“Oh, man,” said Renteria, his eyebrows raised as he thought about coaching and managing García from 2016-18. “Good baseball player. Really good baseball player.”

Renteria returned to Chicago in 2016 to be the White Sox bench coach and has managed the team since '17, the year García stayed healthy enough to post career highs in average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, with a weighted runs created plus of 138 and a drop in strikeouts to below 20 percent.

The speed didn’t show up on the basepaths (he stole five bases that season), but García had one of his best statistical seasons defensively, and it all added up to 4.2 wins above replacement by the Fangraphs measure. It was the best season of his career, and the first time that his “Mini Miggy” promise consistently was reflected both in box scores and by the eye test.

“Excellent defender with a tremendous arm and a really good feel of everything he does out there,” Renteria said. “He takes pride in everything he does. He’s a hustler. He doesn’t like coming out of the lineup.”

There may be days this season that Brewers manager Craig Counsell does leave García out of the lineup. The Brewers’ plan to spread at-bats around between García, Cain and Ryan Braun in the outfield means all three will sometimes sit (and Braun will sometimes start at first base). Milwaukee is moving Christian Yelich to left field because García’s strong arm makes him a better fit in right. García also expects to play some center field in place of Cain, part of a plan to avoid the leg injuries that slowed Cain late last season.

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According to Baseball-Reference.com, García would be the biggest man ever to play center field for the Brewers. Corey Hart and Lyle Mouton were listed at 240 pounds in the website’s database.

“I’m proud to share the outfield with those two great players,” García said, referring to Cain and Yelich. “I can’t wait. I’m excited to be here. I’m healthy and I’m just happy. … I play hard every single game, I hustle down the line and I play to win.”

That’s the player Renteria remembers.

“He actually runs better than people think, because he’s so big,” Renteria said. “He will get to balls that most right fielders will not get to. This kid, while I had him, he was one of my favorites.

“I think Milwaukee is going to love this kid.”