AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: RANGERS VS ASTROS

October 14, 2023

Mitch Garver

Minute Maid Park

Texas Rangers

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Can you take us through just that road for you guys, just to get to this point. At one point in time it looked good, then it got bumpy, then it got good again.

MITCH GARVER: Yeah, I think it's a perfect way to say it. We led the division for 75, 85 percent of the year, and we came in last month, we had a few tough stretches and lost the grasp of it.

But hindsight, I think it worked out really good for us. We didn't win the division, but we got to Tampa, take out a 100-win team; play Baltimore, take out another 100-win team. And I think we played some of our best baseball in the last two weeks.

Q. You like hitting third?

MITCH GARVER: I'm growing on it a little bit or it's growing on me, yep.

Q. Have you done it much in your career?

MITCH GARVER: I want to say yes. I've hit 2nd, 3rd -- well, I've hit lead-off, 2nd, 3rd, 4th. I've hit every spot in the lineup throughout my career. And I think hitting 3rd here is a little unique because it's behind Corey Seager. It's an interesting opportunity.

Q. We know how this is going to be for the fans, but for the players, do you guys allow emotions to come into this rivalry, or is it ALCS, you have to block those out?

MITCH GARVER: A little bit of both. You could be playing any opponent in the ALCS and it's going to get emotional. I think we're familiar with this team. We've played each other a lot. They know us and we know them is kind of the best way to say it.

For me, personally, I think I play my best game when I block out all that stuff and I treat it as a regular season game. I don't like to let the situation get too big or overwhelm me with noise or emotion or situations or whatever.

And I think having that, having done -- played in the playoffs before, that's where I've learned -- that's how I perform my best.

It's going to be interesting with some of these younger guys who have never been in the playoffs before how they approach it. They approach it with more emotion, less emotion, hopefully play the same game and let the chips fall where they may.

Q. Fixated on the phrase "interesting opportunity." Can you elaborate a little bit on how batting behind Corey impacts your ability to do what you can do best?

MITCH GARVER: Well, I want to say it works in a few ways. It's harder for teams to bring in lefties, because I've historically hit lefties pretty well. Corey is an aggressive swinger, but when he's not aggressive, he can work walks. And we saw that in Baltimore, and exactly what happened in that game, I think that was perfect-case scenario, walk to get the bases loaded, I hit a grand slam, and we end up winning the game.

So it's good because Corey has a great on-base percentage, Marcus has a great on-base percentage. I think that's kind of how we build our lineup. We want to be able to have guys who get on base on the top, guys who can drive them in in the middle, and then do it over again. So it's a nice thing to have.

Q. What have you learned about Bruce Bochy and how he manages and communicates with his players?

MITCH GARVER: He has a very clear message if he ever needs to say anything. He doesn't usually say much to us. I can't say how much I appreciate his calmness. He doesn't seem overworked or worked up very often. He's very calm in his decision-making.

And it's not always analytically based, sometimes he makes gut decisions. And I think that art has been lost a little bit in today's game, not for everybody, but he goes off his gut sometimes, too, and it's refreshing. So I appreciate that about Boch.

Q. This recent stretch you've been on since coming off the IL earlier in the year, is this the best you've felt since when? Can you point to a career in where you felt this good at the plate?

MITCH GARVER: I want to say this is the best I felt. I've had some good years in the past, '19 obviously being the highlighted one. But if you were to go strictly off batter ball profile and the way I performed, '21 has still been my best year.

But this year compares pretty closely, driving the ball pretty well, working the counts. Probably my highest walk percentage year, lowest strikeout percentage year. But it's kind of the more you play in your career, the more you become in tune with the hitter that you are, and you come into your own and feel more comfortable with the day-to-day process.