“That’s who he is mimicking,” Johnny DiPuglia, the Nationals’ vice president of international operations, said in an interview with The Washington Post. I trust my veteran guys to keep these guys grounded.”With García and Soto, the “veteran guy” has just over 1,200 career plate appearances. They grew close playing rookie ball in 2017, when García was 17 and Soto was rehabbing at the end of an injury-filled summer. “I said, ‘Okay, I do like you.’ ”Before every game, García, Soto and Victor Robles kneel by the foul line closest to the Nationals’ dugout. For now, and probably for the rest of this season, García has a regular spot in the lineup.

Source: Washington Post August 21, 2020 17:03 UTC