But even he concedes that Crawford’s batting stance was too wide in 2011. While Garcia never mentioned the issue to the Red Sox outfielder, he insists that Crawford would be receptive to listening to Bobby Valentine once they formally meet.
“If I saw [his stance] — and I’m just a little old high school coach — and [Boston’s] manager, the skipper of a major league ballclub sees it, I think he’s going to listen because he wants to do well,” Garcia said. “Carl wants to hit .300, so I think he’s going to absorb Bobby V’s knowledge.”
After failing to reach Crawford on the phone, Valentine said last week that he scheduled a visit in Houston with the outfielder — through his agent — for the weekend.
The meeting was intended to be part introduction, part therapeutic. For both men, it was mostly an opportunity to clear the air after Valentine criticized Crawford’s batting stance during his tenure as an ESPN analyst.
Knowing Crawford like he does, Garcia doesn’t expect the 30-year-old to harbor any hostility moving forward. If anything, after Crawford hit .255 with only 56 RBIs and 18 stolen bases last season, Garcia expects the four-time All-Star to shoulder the blame.
“He’s the kind of guy that wants success and he didn’t have success hitting .255,” Garcia said. “That’s not his standard and that’s not his goal. He’s the type of guy that has an ear and he wants to learn.
“He’ll listen to [Valentine],” he added. “I think he’ll be alright with it. It’s not like he’s a rookie, but it’s only his second year in Boston. In my book, that’s two different careers. He had his career in Tampa, where nobody tells you nothing and left you alone.”
Thousands of miles away from Boston, Garcia tracks Crawford’s every move. Although Crawford is a decade removed from his days at Davis High School, Garcia still ordered a television package to watch Red Sox games in Houston.
From his vantage point, he believes Crawford is just a tweak away from returning to his form from his Tampa Bay days.
“Yeah [his stance was big in Tampa Bay],” Garcia said. “Everything he used to hit in the hole, if [defenders] fielded it clean and made a great throw, he was beating it. I know he’s getting a little older, but his speed didn’t drop off that much.”
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