Red Sox outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia enjoyed a productive second half with Low-A Salem in 2023.

Garcia was a late addition to Salem’s roster after beginning the year at extended spring training in Fort Myers. The 21-year-old was then called up on June 1 as a corresponding move for fellow outfielder Miguel Bleis landing on the injured list with a left shoulder subluxation that would ultimately require season-ending surgery.

Having only played in the rookie-level Dominican Summer and Florida Complex Leagues up until that point in his professional career, Garcia made his full-season debut for Salem on the same night he was promoted. The right-handed hitter got off to a rough start out of the gate and found himself batting just .174/.285/.204 with three doubles, seven RBIs, 13 runs scored, two stolen bases, 14 walks, and 37 strikeouts in his first 28 games (116 plate appearances) with Boston’s Carolina League affiliate.

Despite riding a 3-for-38 (.079) skid going into the major-league All-Star break in mid-July, Garcia seemingly took advantage of the time off and came out on the other side firing. From July 14 through the end of the month, he slashed a stout .327/.426/.654 with his first three home runs of the season and 11 RBIs over 15 games.

Though his production dipped a bit in August, Garcia most notably recorded the first four-hit game of his career on Aug. 23, when he went 4-for-5 with a double, a two-run homer, three runs scored, one walk, and one stolen base at home against the Fredericksburg Nationals. He then closed out the 2023 campaign by posting an .812 OPS in six September contests.

All told, Garcia batted .230/.329/.374 with 14 doubles, six triples, four home runs, 29 RBIs, 46 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 37 walks, and 79 strikeouts in 73 games (310 plate appearances) for Salem last season. That includes a more respectable .264/.356/.473 slash line with 11 doubles, all six of those triples and all four of those homers, 17 runs driven in, seven stolen bases, 23 walks, and 42 strikeouts in 45 games (194 plate appearances) after the All-Star break.

Among the 71 Carolina League hitters who made at least 300 trips to the plate in 2023, Garcia ranked 23rd in walk rate (11.9 percent), 34th in on-base percentage, 26th in slugging percentage, 28th in OPS (.703), 17th in isolated power (.143), ninth in speed score (7.7), sixth in line-drive rate (26.1 percent), and 31st in wRC+ (102), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Garcia saw all of his playing time in the outfield last year come in either center right. The 5-foot-11, 165-pounder logged a team-high 417 1/3 innings at the former and 163 2/3 innings at the latter, combining for five outfield assists while committing a total of five errors in 165 total defensive chances.

A native of Venezuela, Garcia originally signed with the Red Sox for $350,000 as an international free agent coming out of San Fernando de Apure in July 2019. His younger brother, Johanfran, also signed with the club in January 2022 and is now regarded as one of the top young catching prospects in Boston’s farm system.

While he may not get as much shine as his little brother, Jhostynxon was ranked by FanGraphs’ Eric Longengahen as the No. 60 prospect in the Red Sox’ system last June. That was, of course, before the 2023 draft and before the likes of Kyle Teel, Nazzan Zanetello, and Antonio Anderson joined the organization. Still, Longenhagen had some encouraging things to say about the older Garcia.

“Garcia’s power is immense for a [then] 20-year-old,” Longenhagen wrote. “He is much bigger and stronger than his listed height and weight (on his minor league player page, not in this article), and has thunderous power to the opposite field. His swing’s finish is incredible, and it’s rare for a hitter this dense and strong to be that fluid in the hips.”

Garcia, who does not turn 22 until December, is projected to make the jump to High-A Greenville for the start of the 2024 season. As other publications have noted, Garcia’s development moving forward is tied to his hit tool and defensive capabilities since he has already shown the ability to hit for power.

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how Garcia fares against more experienced pitching as he continues to climb the minor-league ladder.

(Picture of Jhostynxon Garcia: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)