7/25/17

Who is the newest Twins' pitcher Jaime Garcia?

The Minnesota Twins have announced that they have traded their 20th prospect 19 year old RHP Huascar Ynoa to the Atlanta Braves for 31 year old LHP Jaime Garcia and 33 year old minor league C Anthony Recker.  Recker was assigned to AAA Rochester to provide catching depth, esp. in a situation where AAA star c Mitch Garver is promoted to the Twins.  Jaime Garcia will assume a spot on top of the Twins' rotation, and he will be a free agent after this season.  Who is the newest Twin?

Jaime Omar Garcia was born on July 8th of 1986 in the border city of Reynosa, Mexico, on the South bank of Rio Grande, finished the Sharyland High School across the river in Mission, TX, situated about 12 miles away from the Alamo.  He was drafted as a High School senior by the Baltimore Orioles in the 30th round of the 2004th draft; however the Braves did not sign him because of a failed test.  He was drafted in the 25th round by the Cardinals in 2005 and signed with them.  He started his pro career next season, at the single A Quad City Swing of the Midwest League, where he started 13 games (77-2/3 IP), and went 5-4, with a 2.90 ERA, 2.19 FIP, 9.3 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and 1.09 WHIP/.309 BABIP.  Midseason he moved to High A Florida State League Palm Beach Cardinals, where he started another 13 games  (77-1/3 IP) and went also 5-4, with a 3.84 ERA, 3.05 FIP, 5.9 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, and 1.29 WHIP/.327 BABIP.

The Cardinal have seen enough of him in those 155 innings in his first pro season to promote him all the way to AA Springfield Cardinals of the Texas League in 2007.    Those 155 innings (plus 12-2/3 in the winter) seem a lot for a pitcher right after High School and might have negatively affected Garcia.  For AA Springfield Garcia started 18 games (103-1/3 IP) with a record of 5-9, 3.75 ERA, 4.49 FIP, 8.5 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and 1.34 WHIP/.281 BABIP before he was shut down during the All Star Break with a UCL sprain.   He started the next season again in Springfield where he started in 6 games (35 IP) with a 3-2 record, 2.06 ERA, 2.53 FIP, 10.5 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, 1.20/.302 BABIP before he was promoted to AAA International League Memphis Cardinals where he started in 6 12 games (71 IP) with a 4-4 record, 4.44 ERA, 4.16 FIP, 7.5 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 1.41/.315 BABIP, before he was promoted to the major league Cardinals in his 3rd full pro season after High School as a 21 year old.  He pitched in 10 games (1 start) before the elbow finally gave up in August and needed Tommy John surgery in September.   He missed the whole 2009 season recovering from surgery, other than rehab assignments;  he returned to the Cardinals in 2010,where he started 28 games (163-1/3 IP) going 13-8, with a 2.70 ERA, 3.41 FIP, 7.3 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, 1.32 WHIP/.292 BABIP and finished 3rd in the Rookie of the year voting.

2011 was his first fully healthy season as a major leaguer, starting 32 games (194-2/3 IP), going 13-7 with a 3.56 ERA, 3.23 FIP, 7.2 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 1.320 WHIP/.292 BABIP.  The Cardinals went on to the postseason.  Garcia started a game in the Division Series, and 2 games each in the Championship Series and World Series, getting a World Series ring. He pitched a total of 25-2/3 innings, upping his season (and career) total to 220-1/3.  Next season, 2012, he started only 21 games, including one in the post season, because of shoulder issues that were diagnosed as labrum and rotator cuff strain and inflammation.  In 2013 he pitched only 9 games because he needed shoulder surgery to repair a partial tear of his labrum and torator cuff.  He returned in 2014 to pitch only 7 games before he needed Thoracic Outlet Surgery.  Back healthy in the second half of 2015, he started 20 games (129-2/3 IP), and fully healthy in 2016 (32 G, 171-2/3 IP) before traded to the Braves for 3 low level prospects last off-season.

We have seen his recent stats as a major leaguer, so I am not going to discuss them here.  The Twins are getting a rental, but with his medical history, they should be glad that that is all they are getting.  One of his splits that is worth mentioning is that he has started a career 20 games against the Americal League, pitching 119 innings, going 6-7 with a 4.39 ERA, 1.311 WHIP, 6.3 K/9 and 2.5 K/BB.  These numbers are those of a solid mid-rotation starter, for example just a hair behind Ervin Santana's career numbers (4.05 ERA, 1.271 WHIP, 7.2 K/9, 2.53 BB/9).  You can read a recent full scouting report here, but distilled, Garcia has a four-seamer and two-seamer in the 90-92 mph range (in that report indicates a velocity drop through the game),  a passable slider and curve that he rarely throws and a plus change up that is his out pitch.  Plus command and control of his pitches, esp. the fastball and setting up the change is his game plan.   All in all he will likely be the 3rd best pitcher with the Twins, behind Jose Berrios and Santana (if Santana stays).  This will likely cost Bartolo Colon a spot, with Adalberto Mejia and Kyle Gibson (both have options) taking the last 2 spots of the rotation with injured Hector Santiago, a free agent this off season, a question mark.

But the Twins are not done dealing.  As a matter of fact, they just started.