PHILADELPHIA -- By the time Adolis García finished his first official introduction as a Philadelphia Phillie, the themes were clear — competition, restraint, and unfinished business.
“This is a great team. It’s a great town,” García said Tuesday. “I like the way they compete. And I like to compete.”
That alone explains why Dave Dombrowski moved quickly after García’s surprising non-tender last month. The Phillies didn’t acquire a finished product. They acquired something closer to a bet — on defense, on bat speed, on playoff temperament — and on the belief that the player they saw dominate October in 2023 and during the ALCS still exists beneath a noisier last two seasons.
Internally, the Phillies are treating García as their everyday right fielder. Dombrowski said as much plainly, while also leaving room for accountability.
“We’re signing him in our view as being our everyday right fielder,” Dombrowski said. “But he needs to show it - he has to be in a position that he performs, and he's aware of that."
That balance — confidence without entitlement — runs through the organization’s thinking. García brings elite right-field defense, a throwing arm that alters games, and a power profile that still shows up in underlying measures, even as his chase rate climbed and his offensive consistency wavered in Texas.
The Phillies believe those issues are fixable — less about erosion of skill than a player pressing to do too much.
“We don’t need him to hit the ball out of the ballpark on every swing,” Dombrowski said, adding that the club believes García’s recent struggles have more to do with approach than ability.
Rob Thomson echoed that assessment, pointing to circumstances that may have led García to carry more than he needed to.
“You have to be yourself,” Thomson said. “Relax. Have fun. Don’t try to do too much.”
García didn’t push back on that narrative. He embraced it.
“I'm gonna do whatever it takes to do the little adjustment that I need," Garcia said. "I'm ready to go with the mentality of being one of the guys in the team… we can conquer together.”
For the Phillies, that version of García fits neatly into a roster that already features Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and a clubhouse accustomed to October expectations. He won’t be asked to lead. He’ll be asked to complement — and, in the late innings, to take runs away.
That’s where García’s confidence never wavers.
“You can get an RBI,” he said, “but you can also stop an RBI in the outfield.”
The Phillies are counting on that. Over the past several seasons, García has consistently rated among the game’s top defensive right fielders, pairing range with an arm that changes baserunner behavior. On a team that expects tight postseason margins, that skill alone carries weight.
Offensively, the Phillies see upside without forcing a specific lineup slot. Thomson said García profiles naturally as protection for left-handed bats, while stressing that roles will be earned.
"I think that that if Adolis does what he normally does, he's just himself, I think he's one of those protector guys for those left handed bats, but I'm not really sure [where he'll bat] because I'm not really sure right now where the top three guys are going to line up," Thomson said.
García’s arrival also sharpens the picture elsewhere in the outfield — and places center field squarely in the spotlight.
Dombrowski did not hedge when asked about Justin Crawford. He spoke as if the opportunity is not theoretical, but tangible.
“If you’re going to give Crawford an opportunity,” Dombrowski said, “you’ve got to give it to him.”
That sounds less like a spring training experiment and more like an opening. The Phillies believe Crawford can handle center field, even as some inside the organization see flexibility between left and center. For now, speed, contact, and defensive range appear to have earned him first crack.
“We think he can do it,” Dombrowski said. “And we think he’s going to be very good.”
Thomson reinforced that message, saying he spoke directly with Crawford to make sure the signing of García didn’t cloud the picture.
“I want him to come into camp to win a job,” Thomson said. “If he’s himself, he’ll make this club.”
In that sense, García’s presence doesn’t block Crawford — it defines the lanes. Right field is stabilized. Left field remains a mix. And center field, for now, belongs to the player the Phillies appear ready to test under real lights, not hypotheticals.
That, more than anything, reveals the Phillies’ mindset this winter. They aren’t chasing perfection. They’re stacking probabilities — defense, athleticism, postseason experience — and trusting their infrastructure to smooth the edges.
García understands the stakes. He understands the scrutiny. And he understands that Philadelphia doesn’t ask for quiet baseball players.
“Emotion is part of who I am,” he said. “That’s my connection with the fans.”
If García finds the balance he’s chasing, the Phillies believe they didn’t just fill right field.
They added another edge to a team built for October.
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