The more Luis Garcia played for the Washington Nationals last season, the more confident he felt. He watched his peers — such as Trea Turner and Juan Soto — and saw how they shook off mistakes in an instant, remaining level-headed through the ups-and-downs of a major league game.
Garcia has always felt confident, ever since he was a little kid. But playing 40 games for the Nationals as a 20-year-old reinforced that, as did his .276 batting average. He told himself he was just playing baseball, the same game he always played, even though he competed at the Double-A level the year prior.