At one point, Garcia even referred to himself as among the worst players in the big leagues. That elicited some encouragement from his cousin.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, sometimes we have a bad time and he thought a bad thing in his mind,\u201d Acu\u00f1a said. \u201cYou know, he is a really good player. When he started to play baseball, he was a really good player. And now, he controls his mind and he is a superstar.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garcia added a toe-tap to his batting stance. He restored his confidence and began to allow his talent to shine. Across the board, his numbers in 2025 were career highs.<\/p>\n
He hit .286 with 16 home runs and 74 RBIs. That strong play resulted in an All-Star appearance<\/a>, a Gold Glove Award and American League MVP votes.<\/p>\n This month, Garcia helped Venezuela win the 2026 World Baseball Classic<\/a>. At the end, he was crowned the MVP of the entire tournament \u2014 a first for a player from his home country.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a dream come true for him, for me, for our family and for our hometown,\u201d Acu\u00f1a said. \u201cYou know, everyone was happy that he got MVP. So in our hometown, it\u2019s like thousands of people and we have three MVPs.\u201d<\/p>\n Acu\u00f1a and Garcia were the talk of the WBC. This weekend, they\u2019ve continued to share their childhood enthusiasm on the field.<\/p>\n They are living out their dreams and doing so on the world stage. Just as they drew it up back home in Venezuela.<\/p>\n \u201cI just want to beat them (the Braves) and beat him,\u201d Garcia said of the competitive rivalry with his cousin. \u201cWe played together in the WBC, but now we are on opposite teams. I\u2019m just trying to win.\u201d<\/p>\n When the series is over, however, it\u2019s always going to be love.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a superstar and good baseball player,\u201d Acu\u00f1a said. \u201cHe\u2019s a good person outside the stadium.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Stories from Kansas City Star<\/p>\n