MLB Bound:

Flashback to 2020: The COVID year. We can all agree that it was the weirdest season of baseball besides 1994. Instead of the usual 162 game marathon, it was a 60-game sprint. By late August, the Yankees were facing a doubleheader as a result of the condensed schedule, leaving them undermanned in their rotation. A doubleheader on August 30th forced the Yankees to choose between two top prospects to start the 2nd game: the #88th prospect Clarke Schmidt, or #92 prospect Deivi Garcia (both according to MLB Pipeline top 100 in 2020). After evaluating both of them from their staff at the alternate training site, they decided to go with Garcia. The scouting report on him at the time was that he was a low velo, high spin pitcher with a low 90’s fastball and a 12-6 curveball that can scrape the bottom of the strike zone effectively, and set up his slider, which generated the most swings and misses. The Yankees love pitchers with high spin rates on fastballs, so it seemed like Garcia was the next man to get a chance at a spot in the rotation.

In his first start for the Yankees, he went 6 innings, allowing 4 hits, with no earned runs (1 unearned), and 6 strikeouts with 0 walks. He led the Yankees to a doubleheader sweep against the Mets. After the game, he said, “I wasn’t nervous. I definitely understood the task in front of me.” Brian Cashman also complimented Garcia’s work, saying, “He acted like he belonged. He didn’t act like it was his first time.” Cashman later added that Garcia would likely start in their next series against Baltimore in 5 days. Although he had a rougher game against Baltimore, allowing 4 runs in a loss, he earned the trust of the Yankees and solidified his spot for the rest of the 2020 regular season.

Did Garcia Deserve the Leeway?

Looking at the stats, Garcia was not all that impressive. He posted a 4.98 ERA with 1.19 WH/IP, 6 home runs, and 9.17 H/9. Other than the ERA, the stats were league average. However, he was getting hit very hard. His Hard Hit% was almost 40%, an expected slugging% of .459, and an expected Batting average of .275, which were substantially worse than league average. What made the Yankees give Garcia the meaningful starts over a veteran like J.A. Happ? He was more consistent, allowed fewer hard hits and fewer walks, leading to his ERA being 1 whole point lower than Garcia’s.

Anyone could guess why the Yankees gave Garcia the start, but the most logical reason could be his demeanor and confidence. As shown earlier, Garcia has shown a very calm, cool, and confident way about his life, which the Yankees could have thought would translate in a playoff atmosphere. His teammates talked very highly of him, with most calling him a professional and comparing him to a typical MLB veteran presence. Typically speaking, the Yankees are definitely an organization that values performance more than anything. Happ clearly was the man to start game 2, with the Yankees ahead 1 game to 0 on the Rays.

ALDS Game 2: What is Going On Here Boonie?

The game was obviously started by Deivi Garcia. He got a groundout and flyout from Austin Meadows and Randy Arozarena before getting hammered by Randy Arozarena on a 3-2 fastball high and then hitting Ji-Man Choi with a pitch, leading to an inning-ending groundball by Manuel Margot.

In an interesting turn of events, we saw J.A Happ warming up in the bullpen even before Arozarena went deep. Many still fail to understand the plan of Aaron Boone at that moment. When he was pressed about whether that move was the plan, he explained: “Probably. [The Rays] are so good at creating platoon advantages, depending on the lineup and everything. We were going to be prepared to go to J.A. pretty early.”

It’s not ideal to have a veteran who has started most of his games in his career, like Happ, become a reliever in possibly one of the biggest stages of his life. Happ got hit for 4 runs, stemming from 2 home runs, in 2.2 innings, taking the loss for the Yankees.

Putting in the pitcher who gets hit harder against the top of a lineup is always a recipe for failure. It was an inexcusable mistake by Boone that could have very well affected the entire shift of the series.

That was Garcia’s only playoff inning of his career, and it led to a steep career downfall.

It Only Gets Worse:

In spring training of 2021, Garcia’s performance was fairly mediocre. He allowed 6 runs in 14 innings, including 4 home runs and 8 walks. He started the season in AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and made his first 4 starts there. His first start was one where he allowed 5 runs on 3 hits and 7 walks in just 3.1 IP. This was a showing of slightly out of rhythm command, which can be normal at the start of the season as players ramp up. His next 2 starts were shutouts where he allowed 2 and 3 hits in 5 innings of work. In his 4th start, he allowed 5 hits and 3 walks, leading to 4 runs as he failed to escape the 3rd inning, pitching only 2.1 innings.

On April 26th, the Yankees were preparing to start a four-game set against the Baltimore Orioles. Boone had to figure out who the starter for the first game of the series would be. There were two legitimate options: Michael King and Deivi Garcia. King had pitched 9 combined innings (6 and 3) in his previous two outings with the Yankees, allowing a combined 0 runs and 3 hits while striking out 7. He would be operating on 9 days of rest, which would certainly allow him to go the 6 innings that he’s shown he’s capable of doing. The other option was Garcia, who had struggled with command and execution in 2 of his 4 starts. Despite this, the Yankees elected to go with Garcia.

The first batter Garcia faced was Cedric Mullins, who took Garcia deep to right to lead off the game. Garcia struggled, allowing 3 walks and 2 more hits in the 3 following innings. He ended up taking the loss on his record and spent the next 5 days at the alternate training site before going back to AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. That would be the last we saw of Garcia at the Major league level.

The Struggles Persist

In the 2021 baseball season, Deivi Garcia experienced a challenging year, posting a 6.85 earned run average (ERA) with 1.88 a WHIP and 10 hits/9. Although we are unable to access Minor League Baseball Statcast data, it can be inferred that Garcia experienced a hard-hit balls issue given his high batting average on balls in play (BABIP) of .332. According to scouts, Garcia’s season was a disappointment as his velocity decreased significantly, he lost his command, which was previously a strength in the shortened 2020 season, and his arm slot dropped, resulting in the shape of his one marvelous 12-6 curveball being diminished. Additionally, he relied more heavily on his slider, while using other pitches less frequently.

The cause of Garcia’s decline in performance is uncertain, and it may be difficult to determine the exact reason. It’s possible that various factors contributed to this sudden loss of talent, such as changes in his physical or mental state. It’s possible that he may have stopped working as hard during the offseason, or perhaps there were personal issues that affected his ability to focus on his game. It’s also possible that the scheme employed by the Yankees during Game 2 of the ALDS may have had an impact on his mental state and confidence. However, without further information or insight from Garcia himself, it’s impossible to determine with certainty what led to this decline. It’s worth noting that sudden declines in performance are not uncommon in sports, and sometimes they can be attributed to many factors, both internal and external. It is important to recognize that there could be many factors at play in Garcia’s decline, and it would not be fair to assume that any one particular reason was solely responsible for it. Professional baseball players, especially those who have worked hard to become international prospects, are known for their dedication and perseverance. It is not accurate or fair to make assumptions about a player’s work ethic or character based solely on their performance on the field. There are many factors that can impact a player’s performance, including physical and mental health, personal issues, and external pressures. We simply just can’t make any conclusions about causes.

Is There Still A Pathway To Pinstripes for Deivi?

It appears highly unlikely that Garcia will have a chance to return to the Yankees’ clubhouse at Yankee Stadium. Even in the case of injuries, the team has a list of other pitchers ahead of him, including Clarke Schmidt, Matt Krook, Jhony Brito, and Randy Vazquez. It’s also worth noting that with enough service time, Garcia should become eligible for Minor League Free Agency. Given the current situation, a change of scenery may be the most viable option for the 23-year-old pitcher. The Yankees seem to be struggling to develop Garcia’s potential, and he may serve as a valuable trade chip for a team looking to acquire pitching talent at the Trade Deadline.

Deivi deserves a change of scenery, after what the Yankees have put him through. From what I have heard from some, the Yankees are not always the best to their Minor Leaguers, so it can definitely be argued that Deivi Garcia deserves his release or a trade.