Yankees’ Deivi Garcia was great in his first intrasquad appearance last night. Garcia only pitched one inning but retired the side in order. He got Tauchman to fly out, Andujar to groundout, and struck out Gary Sanchez.Â
Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone loved what he saw from the youngster. He said Garcia was “really efficient,†and he threw some “good breaking pitches.†Boone talked about how facing some of the “big boys†was a “good step up for him.†He finished by saying that it was “good to see him get out there and get going.†Great sign for the 21-year old.
Deivi Garcia jumped to the No. 3 prospect in the organization last year and has been in the spotlight ever since. He’s a player some Yankee fans thought could’ve made his debut last year. However, that turned out to be an overstatement.
In three starts for the Yankees in Spring Training, he allowed 6 ER in 7 innings of play. Not the greatest. However, he had flashes of major-league caliber pitching. Despite giving up a lot of runs, he had 8 strikeouts. For his first time facing major-league talent, that’s not bad.Â
With minor league baseball not returning in 2020, the Yankees might take a chance on the young star. He could be a good weapon in the bullpen. Garcia has some nasty pitches in his arsenal that get players to swing and miss. With a shortened season and a minimal amount of rest days for pitchers, he could come up clutch for New York. He had a 13.3 SO/9 last season, which could shine even more if he pitches in 1-2 innings spirts. Or, he could serve as a Luis Cessa/Chad Green type of player where he would come in and pitch 3-4 innings if a starting pitcher got into some early trouble. His stats show that he is a very versatile player.
The Yankees have high hopes for the 21-year old pitcher. Look to see how Garcia performs in upcoming intrasquad and exhibition games.