With a double header on tap, Deivi Garcia and Michael King are making their MLB debuts. The former is the more famous of the two, rising to Triple-A from A-ball in just 13 months. These are likely just spot starts but it’ll be a good glimpse to see what Garcia has in store.
The Rankings
Garcia ranked #2 in our Yankees Top 30 list and #112 in our Top 500 Fantasy list.
Pitch Mix
Fastball (55): When our former colleague Jason Pennini saw Garcia in rookie ball, I still remember him telling me how impressed he was that someone so young could use his fastball in all four quadrants of the zone. It’s the advanced approach that’s seen Garcia climb so quickly in the minors and now debut as a 21 year old. The fastball sits 92-95 (and has touched 96) but can drop to low 90s as pitches deeper. It has high-spin and rise which leads me to believe it’s got efficient spin. I’m eager to see his release height and extension and put it into context to judge his vertical approach angle. For more on that, read Wyatt Kleinberg’s “What Metrically Makes an Ace”. As of now, it’s a good strikeout pitch, especially high in the zone where he likes to deploy it and where it has a tendency to jump at you.
Curveball (55): Garcia’s put away pitch is hands down his big knee-buckling, 12-6 curveball that comes in 78-90 mph. This grading is conservative because our own James Chipman has seen what happens when it goes south. It can get slurvey when he loses feel for it. But it’s certainly been plus in certain games and according to his biggest apologists even flashed plus plus, but I don’t feel comfortable making that the present grade. It’s got spin rates that hover around 2,900, a mark that would rank him roughly top 15 in baseball. He has enough command of it to steal strikes with it but more often than not it’s used for whiffs in the dirt.
Slider (45): This is a new pitch that Garcia introduced in 2019 so that batters wouldn’t just sit on his curveball. I’ve only been able to see it on video so I’m being conservative on the grade. But since alternate training sites are black holes of information, it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s morphed into an average major league offering which goes a really long way for Garcia.
Changeup (45): Again, another conservative grade but Chipman said it had some bite and fade when he caught Garcia, so there’s easily above-average potential here to keep hitters off balance.
Conclusion
You’ll hear a lot of Garcia’s 5-foot-9 size. Yeah, I won’t deny that’s small. Rare is the starter who has a fruitful career. But Garcia has a clean delivery that’s repeatable and generally low effort, which is exactly what you want if you’re already fighting off size arguments. With a penchant for strikes and a good strikeout pitch already, Garcia should be good to turn over a lineup a couple of times. But if his slider and changeup are roughly the same as they were a few months ago, he’ll get the hook early.
Fantasy Impact
I’m assuming this is a spot start for Garcia and the Mets have been hitting well recently so I wouldn’t risk it unless you have some insulation for your ratios. Unlikely he goes past four innings too. In short, enjoy the start from the perspective of a baseball fan looking at the future, but don’t count on him for anything fantasy related in 2020.