Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | TEX | C | 29 | 40 |
Grades Update: Mar 2021
| OFP | Role | Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 40 | 45 | 30 | 50 | 55 | 40 |
Mar 2021 Report
Evaluator: Jake Martin
Age: 21 yr
Height: 5-11
Weight: 170 lbs
Hits/Throws: S/R
Acquired: 2016 IFA
RuleV: On 40-Man Roster
Physical Description: 5-foot-11, 170-pound frame. Medium sized backstop. Usually catchers have pretty thick lower halves, but Garcia has not filled out in that regard yet. Needs to fill out further to handle the full season grind of catching.
Hit: The switch-hitter has pretty similar swings from both sides. Even stance, pretty good bend in both legs, more on the left side. On the right side, barrel rests on his shoulder while barrel sways over his head on left side. Pretty sizable leg lift before striding towards the pitcher. Base is wider than shoulder width due to bend in knees. Level swing plane, decent bat speed. Generally a pull side hitter from both sides of the plate. His barrel time through the zone is limited by the lack of use of his lower half. More of a contact approach. Decent bat-to-ball skills but cannot get a ton of power because of lower half. His walk and strikeout rates have both moved in the right direction since his debut in 2017. Approach and discipline are both maturing with time. The biggest thing that is working for Garcia is his ability to improve. Ever since 2017, pretty much all of his offensive numbers have gotten much better. That shows an apt to get better, work hard, etc. However, what does not work is the use of his lower half. He starts fairly crouched in his stance but does not get any lower throughout his swing. Legs are in the strongest position the lower they are to the ground. He does not get his back knee down or move his weight forward through the ball. He has an ability to make contact with the ball but he could get more force into it and make additional contact if he made adjustments. Much better hitter from the left side. Grade: 45
Power: Not a lot of power to speak of in part (once again) to the lack of use of his lower half. He does take a fairly level swing path and he could definitely elevate the ball more with some front leg lockout but there would be no use. He simply lacks the strength as it currently stands to be a consistent homerun hitter. More of a singles and the occasional double hitter. He did improve his power in 2019 after hitting one home run a piece in 2017 and 2018, he bumped it up to 5 in 2019. Could be a gap-to-gap guy if he puts on more muscle, he certainly has time to do so. Extra bases will not be assisted with speed. Grade: 30
Field: Garcia has only spent 140 games behind the plate spread throughout three seasons. Could be a number of reasons for this; injuries, inexperience, or the Rangers are handling with care. Quick feet behind the plate, good athleticism for a catcher. Struggles a little bit with receiving and blocking but has only gotten better with more experience. Certainly has the athleticism to block pitches, but framing is tougher to project. Grade: 50
Arm: Fairly strong arm behind the dish. Registered a pair of sub-2 pop times. Quick footwork and transfers contribute to pop time but he also has some arm strength. Has had some struggles with accuracy but for the most part is pretty on-line. Grade: 55
Run: Not a burner by any stretch of the imagination. Is a below-average runner for all players but is fairly average amongst catchers. He has more quick-twitch athleticism relating to agility than he does relating to top speed. Grade: 40
Overall: Tough to stick a grade on Garcia due to limited usage the past three seasons before 2020. A few different factors helped me to determine his grade. His lack of playing time either means injuries or the Rangers are handling with care. His non-thick lower half is an issue because catching is a grueling job and it is better suited for stockier guys. On the bright side, his offense has improved every single season in the Minor Leagues. Will never be a power hitter but has present bat-to-ball skills and further adjustments could make him even better. Catching might also decrease his offensive output. The surest bet is to count on Garcia being a backup at this stage but he could certainly improve.
OFP: 40
Role: 40 - Below-Average Player: Bench or Platoon
Risk: High
