The Baltimore Orioles and Pitcher Jason Garcia
By Nate Wardle
The Baltimore Orioles have made the Rule 5 Draft a useful part of the team’s strategy, but at this point keeping Jason Garcia is not a smart decision.
If you have seen my writing style, I’m usually not a very critical person. Yet, I am about to break from my usual style.
Who is keeping Jason Garcia benefiting at this point? Not the Orioles and not Garcia.
Let’s revisit who Garcia is, since it has been so long since he pitched in the majors.
Garcia was drafted in the Rule 5 Draft from the Boston Red Sox. He has a real good arm, but even in spring training, had control issues.
Before this season, Garcia had never pitched above single-A. Yet, the Orioles entered the season with him on the 25-man roster.
As you can expect, it didn’t go well. Garcia struggled, including a pitch behind a Toronto Blue Jay which almost incited a brawl.
But, then Garcia got hurt. And the O’s kept him in the minor leagues as long as physically possible. And he didn’t exactly pitch well while in Bowie, either.
Yet, on Friday the O’s called up Garcia and sent Mychal Givens back to AA Bowie. Givens has been excellent this year for the Orioles while in the majors, and the minors too.
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Garcia has been far from excellent in the majors or minors.
Are the Orioles keeping Garcia to spite the Red Sox? Doubtful.
Are they keeping Garcia to prove a point, maybe to Peter Angelos about how if they don’t have money to spend, they have to use the Rule 5 Draft? Possibly.
Whatever the reasoning, it isn’t smart for the team, and it isn’t smart for Garcia’s development.
One can only hope having Garcia in the majors doesn’t cost the team a game, as at this point every game is going to matter.