Giants Claim Reliever Rico Garcia From Division Rival Rockies
By Ian Anderson
As the MLB offseason action starts to pick up at the margins, the San Francisco Giants have just poached an arm from within the division.
On the heels of a strong Double-A tenure (and a weak stint at Triple-A), the three-time World Series Champions of the 2010s decided to add pitching help by claiming 25-year-old Rico Garcia from the Colorado Rockies.
The San Francisco Giants have claimed starting pitcher Rico Garcia off waivers from the Colorado Rockies, a source tells ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 5, 2019
Garcia, a 30th-round pick in 2016, made his big league debut last season. He's a fastball-curveball right-hander who dominated AA before getting PCL'd.
The new Giants pitcher dominated the Double-A while pitching for the Hartford Yard Goats, going 8-2 in 13 starts while posting an ERA of 1.85. He then struggled in the Pacific Coast League for Triple-A Albuquerque (with the new Triple-A baseballs, though, who didn't?!), where his ERA jumped to 6.90 in 13 starts.
Garcia made his big league debut on Aug. 27 of this season, when he pitched in two games and put up somewhat disappointing numbers, with a 10.50 ERA and only two strikeouts in limited duty.
Trying to find out as much information as possible on RHP Rico Garcia #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/7iHnSOD3tr
— Jeff Young (@BaseballJeff1) November 5, 2019
Fans of the Giants took to the internet to find out what they could, and it appears like their incoming pitcher is someone worth taking a risk on, as the former Rockies' No. 20 prospect was drafted only three years ago, and his high quality Double-A numbers should give San Francisco fans hope.