Post by Blunashun on Jul 25, 2019 17:07:20 GMT
MLB Prospect Watch: Yankees' Deivi Garcia is trying to overcome the odds with big-time stuff
Garcia's size makes him a polarizing prospect
by R.J. Anderson @r_j_anderson
19 mins ago • 5 min read
With the MLB trade deadline coming up next week, the Yankees have some decisions to make -- about who they want to acquire; about who they're willing to part with; and about who left on their farm can be reasonably expected to contribute down the stretch. All of those conversations are certain to include Deivi Garcia, a 20-year-old right-handed starter who recently reached Triple-A and is the subject of the never-ending debate about whether someone so small can assume a large role.
Garcia, for those unaware, is listed at 5-foot-9, 163 pounds -- and that's with the generous reporting teams sometimes offer about their own. For reference, there have been three pitchers who were shorter than 70 inches and weighed less than 180 pounds to start at least 30 times since the last round of expansion in 1998: Mike Leake, Marcus Stroman, and Jesus Sanchez.
You know of Leake and Stroman, who both remain active. Sanchez has long since retired, but he did this once despite a career 80 ERA+:
In other words, Garcia will have to overcome precedent if he's to remain a starter for the long haul. There's some reason to think he has a chance, too. As Jarrett Seidler noted at Baseball Prospectus, the stuff is well-above-average with a plus fastball, a big-time breaking ball, and potentially two other above-average offerings. Garcia doesn't have elite command (and he's walked more than four batters per nine this season), but he has a history of throwing strikes.
Of course, the risk-reward element found in Garcia's profile could lead the Yankees to trade him -- much the way the Phillies dealt Sixto Sanchez over the offseason, and the Red Sox dealt Anderson Espinoza in the past. It could also lead them to shuttle him into relief work more quickly than they might with a pitcher who was, say, four inches taller.
For our money, we'd like to see the Yankees give Garcia a real look at starting -- in part because the stuff is so good, and in part because we're suckers for players beating the odds.
Garcia's size makes him a polarizing prospect
by R.J. Anderson @r_j_anderson
19 mins ago • 5 min read
With the MLB trade deadline coming up next week, the Yankees have some decisions to make -- about who they want to acquire; about who they're willing to part with; and about who left on their farm can be reasonably expected to contribute down the stretch. All of those conversations are certain to include Deivi Garcia, a 20-year-old right-handed starter who recently reached Triple-A and is the subject of the never-ending debate about whether someone so small can assume a large role.
Garcia, for those unaware, is listed at 5-foot-9, 163 pounds -- and that's with the generous reporting teams sometimes offer about their own. For reference, there have been three pitchers who were shorter than 70 inches and weighed less than 180 pounds to start at least 30 times since the last round of expansion in 1998: Mike Leake, Marcus Stroman, and Jesus Sanchez.
You know of Leake and Stroman, who both remain active. Sanchez has long since retired, but he did this once despite a career 80 ERA+:
In other words, Garcia will have to overcome precedent if he's to remain a starter for the long haul. There's some reason to think he has a chance, too. As Jarrett Seidler noted at Baseball Prospectus, the stuff is well-above-average with a plus fastball, a big-time breaking ball, and potentially two other above-average offerings. Garcia doesn't have elite command (and he's walked more than four batters per nine this season), but he has a history of throwing strikes.
Of course, the risk-reward element found in Garcia's profile could lead the Yankees to trade him -- much the way the Phillies dealt Sixto Sanchez over the offseason, and the Red Sox dealt Anderson Espinoza in the past. It could also lead them to shuttle him into relief work more quickly than they might with a pitcher who was, say, four inches taller.
For our money, we'd like to see the Yankees give Garcia a real look at starting -- in part because the stuff is so good, and in part because we're suckers for players beating the odds.
