Jan 2021 Report
Evaluator: Geoff Pontes
Age: 24 yr
Height: 6-1
Weight: 216 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2017 IFA
RuleV: On 40-Man Roster
Physical Description: Average pitcher height at 6-1, bulky upper body with strong muscular shoulders. Lower half as thick and muscular, strong glutes and quads. Strong frame looks ready to handle the rigors of pitching. Good physical condition but will require maintenance.
Delivery & Mechanics: Garcia's full delivery starts with a rocker step to a moderate leg lift, hand break at waist, average extension, three quarters release.
Fastball: Above average offering bordering on plus, average velocity 93-95 mph touching 97 mph at peak. Excellent vertical movement and efficient backspin, allow it to eat at the top of the zone. Garcia has also shown the ability to pronate the pitch for more run versus left handers to match his fastball+changeup plan of attack. Will lose command at times and miss up gloveside. Overall the pitch drives his arsenal and setups his strong secondaries. Grade: 55
Cutter: True cutter at 86-89 mph often used at the top and bottom of the zone. Used as a change of pace in tandem with the changeup and slider. Weak contact driver more than a swing and miss offering. Go to pitch when Garcia needs a groundball in a pinch. Fringe average pitch that could play up with further development and commitment to usage in game. Grade: 45
Curveball: Loopy 12-6 curveball with excellent vertical drop. Average velocity in the 75-78 mph velocity band. The lack of velocity makes it play down from his movement and was the worst of his quartet of secondaries at the MLB level. Clear fifth pitch. Grade: 40
Slider: Low-80's sweeper with above-average vertical and horizontal break, playing perfectly against his changeup as an out pitch versus left handed batters or a backdoor offering to righthanders. Garcia's best swing and miss pitch and his go to out pitch. Will lose shape and velocity and can blend into a slurvy version of his sweeper. Grade: 55
Changeup: Arguably Garcia's best secondary, the off-speed was his highest usage pitch at the MLB level in 2020. Garcia uses it to lefties and righties with a low gloveside plan of attack. He executes this flawlessly, utilizing its reverse sweeper break to run back over the plate for strikes. It's also his second best swing and miss pitch after the slider, and can be used interchangeably with the slider as an out pitch. Grade: 60
Control and Command: Heavy movement profile with five different pitches that move in different directions. It's hard to pinpoint if Garcia's command is actually better than his control or strike throwing. Similar to fellow Astros hybrid Cristian Javier. He shows the ability to manipulate break on all of his pitches which in turn leads to a heightened pitchability factor. This of course is factored in against his below average strike throwing. While he does have unique characteristics from a movement and feel perspective he still wastes too many pitches and sometimes just flat misses the zone badly with his fastball. It's a fringe average control and below average command grade, and one of the few we'll grade that seems synonymous. Control: 45 | Command: 40
Overall: Another Astros hybrid-starter in the mold of Framber Valdez or Cristian Javier, that can be equally valuable in a variety of roles. Garcia has the stuff and pitchability to succeed as a traditional backend five inning starter, a bulk starter, or a high leverage reliever. A combination of a high velocity fastball with a good movement profile, two out pitches and a variety of looks gives Garcia the ability to attack batters in variety of ways the second time through. Limited track record of going more than five but that's common of Astros starters, as the organization piggybacks starts in the minors.
OFP: 50
Role: 50 - #4 - #5 SP or Average High-Leverage Reliever
Risk: Moderate
