BRADENTON, Fla. — Spencer Horwitz marveled at the home run display by a group of hitters that included Jhostynxon Garcia while standing on the infield Saturday at Pirate City during batting practice.
When the right handed-hitting Garcia launched a ball over the fence at the 410-foot mark in right-center of Roberto Clemente Field and onto Paul Waner Field, Horwitz howled for everyone to hear.
“They were hitting cars left and right,” Horwitz said. “It was fun to watch. I saw him go over the 410. He’s a freak, and I mean that in a good way. He’s all tooled up. I’ve seen the power. I’ve seen a little bit of his live at-bats so far, and I think he’s got all of the ability in the world.”
The 23-year-old outfielder with the long hair and “exotic” first name — there’s a reason Garcia is nicknamed The Password — is displaying the prodigious power to prove why the Pirates acquired him in December in a trade that sent starting pitcher Johan Oviedo the Boston Red Sox.
Garcia already has made a strong first impression on Pirates manager Don Kelly, who called it “exciting when you see him swinging the bat.” Garcia posted a .267/.340/.470 slash line with 42 extra-base hits, including 21 home runs, and 75 RBIs last season while splitting time between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester.
With a 26.8% strikeout rate and strikeouts in five of his seven at-bats over five games in the majors last August, Garcia wants to improve his plate discipline. So his focus is on making better swing decisions.
Signed for $350,000 as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2019, Garcia has shown he can make overnight improvements. He had only 11 home runs combined in his first three professional seasons before filling out and adding 50 pounds from his listed 6-foot, 163 pounds. He hit 23 homers in 2024, which he started in Low-A and finished it in Double-A.
Boston invested not only in Garcia but his younger brother Johanfran (nickname: The Username), who signed for an $850,000 bonus and was a catcher at High-A Greenville last year. With their parents in Venezuela, the Red Sox brought Johanfran to New York to see Jhostynxon make his major-league debut Aug. 22 at Yankee Stadium.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington emphasized that Garcia is “not a one-skill player,” but rather one they believe can use his speed to be valuable on the basepaths and defensively in center or left field.
“We think he’s a player that can do a lot of different things to help a team win,” Cherington said in December. “He’s, obviously, got power. We’ve seen him use his power to all parts of the field. He’s an aggressive player. He needs to continue to hone in on selectivity and just kind of shrink the strike zone just a little bit. But he’s a young player, and we’ve seen young players do that.”
Garcia was the odd man out in Boston’s crowded outfield, which features 2024 All-Star Jarren Duran, two-time Gold Glove right fielder Wilyer Abreu and 21-year-old American League Rookie of the Year finalist Roman Anthony, who signed an eight-year, $130 million contract extension with the Red Sox in August. With the Pirates, Garcia is expected to compete with Jake Mangum and Jack Suwinski for the starting job in left field this spring.
“The opportunity here looks like it’s better, as well,” Garcia said through Pirates coach and interpreter Stephen Morales. “Too many outfielders in the Red Sox organization. Coming here, I feel like I really have a chance, an opportunity to make the team, and I’m really grateful for it.”
Where Garcia’s reputation at the plate preceded him, he also has impressed the Pirates with his play in the field. Kelly pointed out how much he enjoyed Garcia shagging fly balls during batting practice Friday.
“He was getting really good jumps. There’s speed there,” Kelly said. “Talking about another young, exciting guy that we were able to add. The impact and the ceiling that he has is really high.”
