‘Now everybody sees it’: How Adolis Garcia learned to shine on the biggest stage
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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
ARLINGTON, TEXAS — They barreled out of the first-base dugout in a flash, congregating around home plate so quickly that Texas Rangers outfielder Evan Carter said they might have arrived there even before Adolis García reached first base.
It was almost as if they’d anticipated another moment like this.
After bursting onto the scene in the summer of 2021, García has spent the fall of 2023 putting together one of the most captivating postseason performances in baseball history, dazzling with his glove and his legs and, mostly, his bat. When he settled into the batter’s box in the 11th inning of the opening game of this Fall Classic on Friday night, his teammates — really, all of Globe Life Field — seemed to expect something. What followed was the first walk-off home run in Game 1 of the World Series since Kirk Gibson’s legendary drive in 1988.
This is the type of legacy García is building.
“I don’t think I ever imagined that these types of things would be happening to me,” said García, speaking in Spanish, moments after sealing the Rangers’ 6-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. “But I’m very grateful and happy, and I’m just going to keep giving it my best to help us win it all.”
García, 30, has homered in five consecutive playoff games, one shy of the major league record. His total for the postseason is now at eight, just two fewer than the 2020 output from Randy Arozarena, his minor league roommate and best friend. That walk-off home run was his 22nd RBI this postseason, breaking the all-time record set by David Freese, the former St. Louis Cardinals third baseman, during a 2011 run that famously left Rangers fans devastated.
“When he gets hot, it’s really hot,” Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien said of García. “Now everybody sees it.”
García almost single-handedly ended the Houston Astros‘ season in the American League Championship Series, then proceeded to reach base in four of his first five plate appearances to begin the World Series. He singled in the first, drew a walk in the third, added another single in the eighth and took a 92 mph fastball to his left hand from D-backs closer Paul Sewald in the ninth, moments after Corey Seager tied the score with a 418-foot two-run homer.
García shook it off, promptly stole second base and came to bat again two innings later, with none on, one out and the score still tied. Right-handed reliever Miguel Castro fed him a steady diet of changeups, the one pitch that gave him trouble this season, but fell behind in the count 3-1. He followed with a 97 mph sinker slightly low, which García drove to the opposite field and lofted over the right-field fence, sending a sold-out Globe Life Field crowd into a frenzy.
Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe doused García with a cooler of iced water as he approached home plate. In the tunnel on the way to the clubhouse, teammates repeatedly chanted his nickname — “Bombi,” originally given to García by a childhood friend who thought his head was shaped like a light bulb.
It was six years ago that García left friends and family behind in Cuba and went to Japan as a springboard to come to the United States and fulfill his dream of reaching the majors. He signed for a relatively small amount, was passed over twice — including by the Rangers. He didn’t carve out a full-time role in the big leagues until he neared the end of his 20s. But he always believed moments like these were possible.
“I think it’s all been worth it,” García said. “If I had to do it all over again, I would, because I feel so grateful for everything that has happened.”
NATHANIEL LOWE’S DAY was finished. It was March 24, 2021, eight days before the start of the Rangers’ regular season. Lowe had taken his three at-bats in a Cactus League game and he was officially off the clock.
But Adolis García continued to grab his attention.
Lowe had come to the Rangers’ organization from the Tampa Bay Rays that offseason, and he spent the weeks of spring training familiarizing himself with his new teammates. García immediately caught his eye — and mystified him. García, then 28 and headed for the Triple-A club, was stealing bases and turning in highlight-reel plays and hitting baseballs harder than anybody else. Lowe couldn’t understand why he wasn’t on the roster.
On that day, Lowe had finished changing in the visitors clubhouse and readied to leave. When he heard García’s name being announced as a late-game substitution, he paused, peering through a peephole that looked onto the field. García was coming in for one of the regulars with the Rangers trailing in the ninth inning of a meaningless game, as is often the case for those unlikely to reach the major leagues — and he scorched a two-run double to capture a victory. Lowe could only shake his head. García once again looked like the best player on the field.
“It felt like every ball he hit, he just hammered it off the wall — again and again and again,” Lowe recalled.
What Lowe saw in just a few weeks was something that it took multiple major league franchises years to understand.
When García defected from Cuba in summer 2016 — he had already had an MVP season for Serie Nacional, the country’s professional league, and a brief stint with the Yomiuri Giants of the Japan Eastern League — he was nearing his 24th birthday, relatively old for an international signee. The St. Louis Cardinals signed him for $2.5 million in February 2017, bouncing him between Double-A and Triple-A, plus a cup of coffee in the majors, before designating him for assignment in December 2019. The Rangers immediately picked him up, then designated him for assignment in February 2021 after signing a starting pitcher named Mike Foltynewicz. García slipped through waivers unclaimed and was outrighted off the 40-man roster.
By that point he was almost 28, coming off a COVID-shortened season that shut down the minor leagues and limited him mostly to workouts at the Rangers’ alternate training facility. His major league career consisted of 23 at-bats and two hits.
Unbridled optimism carried him.
“I knew what I could do, what level of baseball I could play at,” García said. “I always had confidence in that. I just kept working because I knew this team was going to give me the opportunity. I just needed to take advantage of it.”
García surged through spring training in 2021, slugging .781 in 22 games, but the Rangers left him off their Opening Day roster. It wasn’t until Ronald Guzman suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee on April 12 that García was finally called up.
Four days later, he won a game in extra innings with his first career home run. In May, he was named the AL Rookie of the Month. In July, he was an All-Star. By the end of the year, he had become a fixture on a rebuilding Rangers team that lost 102 games and was scrounging to identify core players to build around.
“He was still a developing player, and I think the question we had is if he was consistent enough to be a good major league player at that point,” Rangers general manager Chris Young said. “And I think, honestly, where we were as an organization, we had the ability to give him the runway to work through those things. And as he got opportunities, we saw a player with extreme aptitude, a player with incredible work ethic — an energy, a passion for excellence and continual improvement. He’s made himself into the player he is now.”
THE END OF the 2022 season prompted a sit-down between García and the Rangers’ hitting experts, a group that consists of offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker, hitting coach Tim Hyers and assistant hitting coach Seth Conner. The meeting revolved around two key questions:
What do people think of Adolis García?
What do you want them to think of Adolis García?
At that point, García had put together back-to-back solid major league seasons, accumulating 58 home runs and 41 stolen bases while OPS’ing .749 through a stretch of 305 games. But he continued to carry a reputation as an all-or-nothing hitter, the type of label that had soured major league teams in the first place.
From 2017 to 2019, García had accumulated 366 strikeouts in 368 minor league games, a stretch in which he walked less than 5% percent of the time. Breaking balls in particular bothered him. The Rangers spent a sizable chunk of 2020 remaking García’s swing, incorporating a toe-tap to keep him more lateral and eliminating excess movement to help shorten his swing path. But his first two major league seasons still saw him rank just outside the bottom 10% in chase rate and finish 260th among 297 qualified players in walk percentage. García needed to learn to work counts, lay off breaking balls and force opposing pitchers to throw into his preferred zone.
So after that conversation with Ecker and the Rangers team, almost as soon as the 2022 season concluded, García went to Tampa, Florida, to work with his personal hitting coach, Osvaldo Diaz, a former minor leaguer from Cuba.
Together, they decided to change the answer to Ecker’s first question.
“It was very personal to him — ‘pitchers are going to fear me, and they’re going to respect me,'” Ecker said. “Credit to them. They did the work on that, and then he came in and he executed it. Adolis is a special human, and there’s nothing he wants to do that’s average.”
The 2023 regular season saw García set career highs in home runs (39), RBIs (107) and OPS (.836) while making his second All-Star team. He still struck out a healthy amount — 175 times in 148 games — but he also drew 65 walks, just seven fewer than his combined total from 2021 and 2022. From one year to the next, his chase rate dropped from 37% to 29.4%, an uncommon improvement for a hitter already in his 30s.
Along the way, García learned to better analyze video of opposing pitchers, a skill that has paired nicely with an innate ability to make in-game adjustments.
“It’s pretty cool,” Ecker said. “For his age, he’s really in Year 3. He’s figuring out the game, he’s figuring out Major League Baseball, and it’s pretty special that in Year 3 he’s making these types of strides. It’s kind of scary what could be possible for this guy.”
YOUNG HAD NEVER seen a player get booed so roundly. Before running the Rangers’ baseball-operations department, Young spent 14 years pitching in the major leagues. He played two seasons in New York from 2011 to 2012 and made a World Series run with the Kansas City Royals in 2015. Through it all, he had never experienced anywhere near as much animosity toward a visiting player as what greeted García for Games 6 and 7 of the ALCS from Minute Maid Park in Houston, in the wake of the benches-clearing incident that centered around him getting drilled by a Bryan Abreu fastball.
García proceeded to strike out in each of his first four at-bats, and the vitriol escalated further with each one. He found himself too eager.
“I wanted to get the big hit; that’s all I wanted to do,” García said. “But I told myself, ‘No, you need to calm yourself down and just do your best.'”
What followed was one of the best surges in recent memory. In a string of six at-bats over the next two games — at a time when his team needed back-to-back road wins to knock off the defending-champion Astros and reach the World Series — García accumulated five hits, three of which were home runs (it would’ve been four had his first-inning double in Game 7 sailed a couple of feet higher). He drove in nine runs in that stretch, solidifying ALCS MVP honors while setting a record for RBIs in a single postseason series with 15.
In a highly contentious environment, with more than 40,000 people openly rooting for his failure, García found a way to extract his best self.
It captured his essence.
“I think some of the best players have a little bit of that ‘f— you’ mentality,” Rangers left-hander Andrew Heaney said. “They don’t care what other people think; they don’t take into account other people’s opinions. I think he has that ability. I don’t know how much he’s shutting out the noise versus absorbing it and letting it fuel him, but I think either way, you’re still going, ‘F— these guys. I’m gonna show them.'”
Later, in the champagne-soaked clubhouse he helped ignite, teammates gushed about García’s performance and how it spoke to his distinctive traits. One raved about his supreme talent but brought up the unwavering confidence that allows it to spill out so routinely in pressure-packed moments. Another laughed that an entire country is now learning about the greatness they had long realized. Others noted that MLB should market García as one of its transcendent stars, up there with the likes of Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuna Jr. He has the skill set, but also the swagger.
“It’s so good for young players to watch him and how he plays with such confidence to just prove stuff to everybody else,” Semien said. “I think a lot of young players can learn from that guy.”
García said he took the animosity in Houston as a “positive — knowing that there was an entire stadium that was focused on me.” He viewed it as an opportunity, not a burden. In recent years, García has learned to quiet the outside noise and simplify his concentration. The tail end of the ALCS proved to him that he could do it on the grandest of stages.
Which, of course, meant he could do it in Game 1 of the World Series, too.
“I only have three years playing in the big leagues, but I’ve had a long baseball career in general and I’ve been through a lot during that time,” García said. “That’s why moments like that don’t get me stressed out.”
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Neil Paine
Hockey is a notoriously chaotic sport in which you need a large sample of games to know what’s real versus what’s just noise. For instance, it is estimated that it takes the entire 82-game NHL season to give us as much information about team quality as just 32 NBA games — or less than half the regular season — do.
So it’s always risky to draw grand conclusions from what we see over the first month of play on the ice. But that can’t stop us from finding interesting trends emerging from the early portion of the schedule.
Here are seven initial developments that have taken us by surprise in 2024-25 so far:
1. Ovechkin’s comeback against Father Time
One of the biggest storylines heading into the season was Alex Ovechkin‘s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s goal-scoring record, with the Great 8 starting the season trailing The Great One by 41 scores.
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Sean Allen
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Victoria Matiash
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Victoria Matiash
Fantasy Hockey
- ESPN.com Fantasy Contributor since 2010
- Part-time anchor at NEWSTALK1010
Another week, another No. 1 landing spot for the Winnipeg Jets in the ESPN NHL Power Rankings. But who finishes 2-32?
Plus, it’s another fantasy hockey takeover week, with Sean Allen and Victoria Matiash identifying one player per team who is off to a slow start (relative to his teammates or expectations) and advising fantasy managers whether to have patience or panic at this time.
And as a reminder, it’s not too late to join ESPN Fantasy Hockey. Sign up for free and start playing today!
How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors sends in a 1-32 poll based on the games through Wednesday, which generates our master list here.
Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to the previous edition, published Nov. 8. Points percentages are through Thursday’s games.
Previous ranking: 1
Points percentage: 88.24%
Cole Perfetti, LW (28.9% rostered in ESPN Fantasy leagues): As difficult as it is to find fault with anything Jets-related these days, Perfetti isn’t quite meeting 2024-25 fantasy expectations yet. But the 22-year-old remains cemented on the Jets’ second scoring line and power play, and he has pitched in enough multipoint showings to merit another look in deeper leagues. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: @ FLA (Nov. 16), vs. FLA (Nov. 19)
Previous ranking: 2
Points percentage: 73.33%
Brent Burns, D (69.5%): The writing had been on the wall, faintly sketched with a carpenter’s pencil, but now it’s been retraced in ink. Shayne Gostisbehere has the power play on lock, and Burns doesn’t put up the points without it now. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: vs. OTT (Nov. 16), vs. STL (Nov. 17), @ PHI (Nov. 20), @ NJ (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 4
Points percentage: 67.65%
Gustav Forsling, D (68.8%): Playoff heroics can inflate rostership numbers even this far into the future, but Forsling isn’t a must-have fantasy contributor. You can find a defenseman with a higher ceiling among your league’s free agents. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: vs. WPG (Nov. 16), @ WPG (Nov. 19), @ CHI (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 5
Points percentage: 78.13%
Marc-Andre Fleury, G (51.8%): As long as Filip Gustavsson continues to perform dependably well, the veteran No. 2 isn’t going to play much. There are other lesser-rostered backups in the league — Jake Allen and Jonathan Quick come to mind — who offer more fantasy punch than Fleury. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: vs. DAL (Nov. 16), @ STL (Nov. 19), @ EDM (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 6
Points percentage: 70.00%
Matt Roy, D (45.6%): After a breakout fantasy campaign with the Kings last season, cut Roy some slack. He has had only a handful of games to get used to his new teammates, and the minutes are there to get the job done. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: @ COL (Nov. 15), @ VGK (Nov. 17), @ UTA (Nov. 18), vs. COL (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 3
Points percentage: 70.00%
Mika Zibanejad, C (95.6%): Zibanejad has had slow starts before — 1.78 FPPG in 2021-22 and 1.93 FPPG last season — yet still finished over 2.00 FPPG. His current 1.58 FPPG isn’t alarming. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: @ SEA (Nov. 17), @ VAN (Nov. 19), @ CGY (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 7
Points percentage: 68.75%
Brayden McNabb, D (52.3%): Returning to his selfless ways — highlighted by five blocked shots against the Ducks Wednesday — McNabb is already working back into his fantasy managers’ good graces. While hardly a prolific producer, the veteran should start pitching in a few more points, too. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: @ UTA (Nov. 15), vs. WSH (Nov. 17), @ TOR (Nov. 20), @ OTT (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 10
Points percentage: 65.00%
Luke Hughes, D (39.1%): He did an admirable job filling in for an injured Dougie Hamilton as a rookie last season, but unless that situation arises again, it looks as though Hughes is out of the limelight for this campaign. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: @ TB (Nov. 16), vs. CAR (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 8
Points percentage: 66.67%
Roope Hintz, C (79.8%): Some bad puck luck, illustrated by his 6.7% shooting percentage through six recent contests (career: 16.5%), is partially to blame for Hintz’s current skid. But the perennial 30-plus goal scorer is bound to get back on track soon, especially once Peter DeBoer inevitably juggles his lines again. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: @ MIN (Nov. 16), vs. ANA (Nov. 18), vs. SJ (Nov. 20)
Previous ranking: 11
Points percentage: 63.33%
Filip Hronek, D (51.9%): He’s averaging approximately a single shot and blocked shot per game. Unlike last season, the compensatory scoring isn’t there to make up for those shortcomings. Hronek appears far more valuable to the Canucks as Quinn Hughes‘ defensive partner than to his fantasy managers. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: vs. CHI (Nov. 16), vs. NSH (Nov. 17), vs. NYR (Nov. 19)
Previous ranking: 9
Points percentage: 58.33%
Quinton Byfield, RW (43.2%): The lack of a single power-play point is one concern, along with his removal from the top unit. Through the fantasy lens, so is Byfield’s third-line role. If all remains as is, we might be in for another season of inconsistent fantasy returns. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: vs. DET (Nov. 16), vs. BUF (Nov. 20)
Previous ranking: 13
Points percentage: 61.11%
Matthew Knies, LW (42.4%): He has been making hay while the sun shines, so to speak, as he gets first power-play unit access while Auston Matthews is out. The confidence boost should carry over to when Matthews returns, and they are linemates again. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: vs. EDM (Nov. 16), vs. VGK (Nov. 20)
Previous ranking: 17
Points percentage: 55.88%
Jeff Skinner, C (45.0%): Afforded the opportunity to compete alongside just about every Oiler up front, including two of the best centers in the biz, the veteran winger has nonetheless failed to offer much of a productive presence. Now Skinner appears relegated to Edmonton’s fourth line. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: @ TOR (Nov. 16), @ MTL (Nov. 18), @ OTT (Nov. 19), vs. MIN (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 12
Points percentage: 56.67%
Jake Guentzel, LW (98.8%): Guentzel’s overall output is fantastic already, but with just two power-play points so far, he has yet to add his usual production with the man advantage. If he does, his already strong fantasy profile could get a big boost. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: vs. NJ (Nov. 16), @ PIT (Nov. 19), @ CBJ (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 19
Points percentage: 52.94%
Devon Toews, D (66.7%): While it has taken the defender time to warm up after a delayed start to 2024-25, Toews now appears back in his groove: blocking shots, contributing to the score sheet and skating more minutes than nearly everyone else. Cale Makar‘s partner hasn’t averaged 0.58 points per game throughout his career by accident. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: vs. WSH (Nov. 15), @ PHI (Nov. 18), @ WSH (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 15
Points percentage: 53.13%
Linus Ullmark, G (84.8%): The Senators are showing signs of competing, and we know Ullmark is capable of being among the best. Patience might already be paying off with some of his recent road outings against tough division rivals. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: @ CAR (Nov. 16), vs. EDM (Nov. 19), vs. VGK (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 14
Points percentage: 55.88%
Nazem Kadri, C (78.4%): While no one is scoring much for the Flames these days, including their No. 1 center, this too shall pass. Perhaps it’ll play out like last season, when Kadri collected two points in October before erupting for 13 in November, then maintained that scoring pace for the duration of the season. Also, he shoots the puck a lot. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: vs. NSH (Nov. 15), vs. NYI (Nov. 19), vs. NYR (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 20
Points percentage: 50.00%
Charlie McAvoy, D (89.9%): The Bruins’ offense might be slower this season, but McAvoy’s 1.64 FPPG is still too low. Give him time. Not enough has changed to drop him far from his 2.29 FPPG average over the past three seasons. Verdict: Patience
Next seven days: vs. STL (Nov. 16), vs. CBJ (Nov. 18), vs. UTA (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 18
Points percentage: 53.13%
Barrett Hayton, C (17.5%): According to analysis by Evolving Hockey, the third-line center (for now) should be scoring more goals in accordance with the quality of his shots. That offers some comfort in light of his current skid. While Hayton certainly needs to play more minutes and shoot on net more often, he doesn’t merit giving up entirely in deeper fantasy leagues. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: vs. VGK (Nov. 15), vs. WSH (Nov. 18), @ BOS (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 24
Points percentage: 52.94%
Brock Nelson, C (76.9%): The Isles’ collective offense isn’t weaker than it has been for several years. Nelson has averaged 2.03 FPPG across the past three seasons. He’ll come around. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: @ SEA (Nov. 16), @ CGY (Nov. 19), @ DET (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 21
Points percentage: 50.00%
Patrick Kane, RW (66.3%): If the Red Wings’ power play were in the dumps, maybe we could preach patience for Kane. But it’s not, and it might be time to move on from Kane in fantasy. He is getting all the opportunities required and is just not producing. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: @ ANA (Nov. 15), @ LA (Nov. 16), @ SJ (Nov. 18), vs. NYI (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 23
Points percentage: 50.00%
Dylan Cozens, C (49.3%): It is time to move off Cozens. He had that banner 2022-23 but is now matching the reduced fantasy production that lasted all of last season. Even an uptick in performance might not be enough to get to fantasy relevance from his current 1.41 FPPG. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: @ PHI (Nov. 16), @ LA (Nov. 20)
Previous ranking: 25
Points percentage: 50.00%
Adam Larsson, D (60.5%): Despite the relative drought, the top-pair defenseman still blocks a sufficient number of shots to merit rostering in deeper standard leagues. Plus, he’ll soon fall back into his usual (however relatively modest) scoring groove. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: vs. NYI (Nov. 16), vs. NYR (Nov. 17), vs. NSH (Nov. 20)
Previous ranking: 16
Points percentage: 44.12%
Jordan Binnington, G (55.1%): After winning the season opener against Seattle, the Blues’ No. 1 has yet to beat anyone outside of the Atlantic Division. Shouldering a 4-7-0 record, .887 save percentage and 3.26 goals-against average, Binnington has cost his fantasy managers a total net loss of 1.8 points. Yes, negative points. There are likely brighter days ahead for the banged-up Blues, but when? Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: @ BOS (Nov. 16), @ CAR (Nov. 17), vs. MIN (Nov. 19), vs. SJ (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 31
Points percentage: 47.06%
Joel Farabee, LW (50.7%): Farabee, Tyson Foerster, Scott Laughton; Take your pick of Flyers who were just picking up some fantasy momentum in their career but have been buried on the depth chart by the new core group. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: vs. BUF (Nov. 16), vs. COL (Nov. 18), vs. CAR (Nov. 20)
Previous ranking: 27
Points percentage: 38.24%
Teuvo Teravainen, RW (41.4%): The Blackhawks’ offseason acquisition has one goal and zero assists in his past 11 games, and he isn’t shooting with any consistency. Even back on a scoring line with Connor Bedard, Teravainen can’t be counted on to contribute regularly enough. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: @ VAN (Nov. 16), vs. ANA (Nov. 19), vs. FLA (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 26
Points percentage: 41.67%
Erik Karlsson, D (94.1%): It’s been a season and a quarter now, so what we see from Karlsson as a Penguin might be what we get. He’s not the sole source of offense, so downgraded fantasy output is just the new normal. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: @ CBJ (Nov. 15), vs. SJ (Nov. 16), vs. TB (Nov. 19)
Previous ranking: 22
Points percentage: 40.00%
Ivan Provorov, D (19.2%): No one on the Blue Jackets is underperforming in a big way, but even 20% rostership is too high for Provorov. If he’s not on the first pair, you can safely pretend he’s not there. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: vs. PIT (Nov. 15), @ MTL (Nov. 16), @ BOS (Nov. 18), vs. TB (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 28
Points percentage: 38.24%
Gustav Nyquist, RW (16.6%): Once replaced by Steven Stamkos on the Predators’ top line, Nyquist lost most of his fantasy charm. It’s no coincidence the winger was at his most productive when skating alongside Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: @ CGY (Nov. 15), @ VAN (Nov. 17), @ SEA (Nov. 20)
Previous ranking: 29
Points percentage: 40.00%
Lukas Dostal, G (60.7%): The Ducks allow the most shots against (35.5 per game) while scoring the fewest goals (2.20 per game). Plus, a healthy John Gibson is back to share Anaheim’s crease. Dostal’s successful fantasy run was fun while it lasted. It’s time to move on. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: vs. DET (Nov. 15), @ DAL (Nov. 18), @ CHI (Nov. 19)
Previous ranking: 32
Points percentage: 36.11%
William Eklund, LW (56.2%): The sophomore is playing a ton of minutes, pitching in assists and now skating on a scoring line with Mikael Granlund. Which is a good thing. Yes, we’d all like to see him shoot more. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: @ PIT (Nov. 16), vs. DET (Nov. 18), @ DAL (Nov. 20), @ STL (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 30
Points percentage: 35.29%
Sam Montembeault, G (22.3%): The Habs don’t look like they’ll win enough for Monty to shine in redraft leagues, but if you drafted him for a keeper league, there are positive signs for the future. Verdict: Patience, at least for the long term.
Next seven days: vs. CBJ (Nov. 16), vs. EDM (Nov. 18)
LAS VEGAS — Left-handers Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves and Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox won Major League Baseball’s Comeback Player of the Year awards on Thursday.
Cleveland right-hander Emmanuel Clase won his second AL Reliever of the Year award and St. Louis righty Ryan Helsley won the NL honor.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani joined David Ortiz as the only players to win four straight Outstanding Designated Hitter awards. Ohtani and the New York Yankees‘ Aaron Judge won Hank Aaron Awards as the outstanding offensive performers in their leagues.
Major League Baseball made the announcements at its All-MLB Awards Show.
Sale, 35, was 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 177⅔ innings for the NL’s first pitching triple crown since the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw in 2011. He earned his eighth All-Star selection and first since 2018.
Sale helped Boston to the 2018 World Series title but made just 56 starts from 2020-23, going 17-18 with a 4.86 ERA, 400 strikeouts and 79 walks over 298⅓ innings. He was acquired by Boston from the White Sox in December 2016 and made nine trips to the injured list with the Red Sox, mostly with shoulder and elbow ailments. He had Tommy John surgery on March 30, 2020, and returned to a big league mound on Aug. 14, 2021.
Sale fractured a rib while pitching in batting practice in February 2022 during the management lockout. On July 17, in his second start back, he broke his left pinkie finger when he was hit by a line drive off the bat of the Yankees’ Aaron Hicks. Sale broke his right wrist while riding a bicycle en route to lunch on Aug. 6, ending his season.
Crochet, 25, was 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA over 32 starts for a White Sox team that set a post-1900 record of 121 losses, becoming a first-time All-Star. He struck out 209 and walked 33 in 146 innings.
He had Tommy John surgery on April 5, 2022, and returned to the major leagues on May 18, 2023. Crochet had a 3.55 ERA in 13 relief appearances in 2023, and then joined the rotation this year.
Sale and Crochet were chosen in voting by MLB.com beat writers.
Clase and Helsley were unanimous picks by a panel that included Hall of Famers Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, Dennis Eckersley and Rollie Fingers, along with John Franco and Billy Wagner. The AL award is named after Rivera and the NL honor after Hoffman.
A three-time All-Star, Clase was 4-2 with a 0.61 ERA, 66 strikeouts and 10 walks in 74⅓ innings, holding batters to a .154 average. The 26-year-old converted 47 of 50 save chances, including his last 47.
Voting was based on the regular season. Clase was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in the playoffs, allowing three home runs, one more than his regular-season total.
Helsley, a two-time All-Star, was 7-4 with a 2.04 ERA and 49 saves in 53 chances. He struck out 79 and walked 23 in 66⅓ innings.
Ohtani became the first player with 50 or more homers and 50 or more stolen bases in a season. A two-way star limited to hitting following elbow surgery, Ohtani batted .310 and led the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs while stealing 59 bases.
Ortiz won the DH award five years in a row from 2003-07.
The DH award, named after Edgar Martinez, is picked in voting by team beat writers, broadcasters and public relations departments. MLB.com writers determined the finalists for the Aaron awards, and a fan vote was combined with picks from a panel of Hall of Famers and former winners to determine the selections.
Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers and 144 RBIs while hitting .322.
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