Luis Victoriano García (born May 16, 2000) is a Dominican American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB).

Early life

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

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

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 of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

during their 1999 season. Luis Victoriano García was born in

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, but he moved to the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

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 Constituti ...

, 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. ''

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'' 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 second baseman 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 Class-A Hagerstown Suns to the High-A Potomac Nationals, and he was the youngest player and the first ever born in the

2000s File:2000s decade montage3.png, From top left, clockwise: The World Trade Center on fire and the Statue of Liberty during the 9/11 attacks in 2001; the euro enters into European currency in 2002; a statue of Saddam Hussein being toppled durin ...

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 Carter Alswinn Kieboom ( ; born September 3, 1997) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Amateur career Kieboom attended George Walton Comprehensive High School in Mariett ...

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 in the Arizona Fall League 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 near Scottsdale, Arizona. The ballpark is also the spring training facility o ...

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 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) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

, 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 played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals. Castro i ...

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

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 Field ...

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 professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics and C ...

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 in MLB for the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers. Turner pla ...

as well as the suspension and subsequent release of Starlin Castro. He finished 2021 slashing .303/.371/.599 in 37 games at the AAA level and .242/.275/.411 in 70 games in the MLB. García once again began the 2022 season at AAA 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.

References

External links

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

Early life

Professional career

See also

References

External links