The Tigers took Garcia in the fifth round of the 2016 Draft after he set a University of Miami record with 43 career saves. The hope was that he'd move through the Minors quickly en route to the big leagues, and he nearly did just that in his first full season, pitching across four levels and finishing in Triple-A. However, Garcia's fast track was derailed in early 2018 when he needed Tommy John surgery right at the start of Spring Training. He made a healthy return to the mound in May 2019 and was back in Triple-A Toledo's bullpen by the end of the month.
When healthy, Garcia has a fastball-slider combination that is good enough to compete with at the Major League level. He throws his fastball up to 95-96 mph regularly and his breaking ball will flash plus, missing bats to the tune of a 12.8 K/9 rate in 2017. The Tigers have encouraged him to work on his changeup more, a serviceable pitch now that could be average and give him a legitimate third weapon. With the exception of his time in Triple-A, he was generally around the strike zone with enough command to succeed in late relief.
Garcia's bulldog mentality is well-suited for relief work and he likes getting the ball late in games. Provided he can stay healthy, Garcia should be able to carve out a role as a setup man at the highest level. Statcast - Pitching Season Pitches Batted Balls Barrels Barrel % Exit Velocity Launch Angle XBA XSLG WOBA XWOBA XWOBACON Hard Hit % K % BB % 2019 129 21 1 4.8 88.9 13.7 .220 .371 .386 .304 .332 28.6 21.2 15.2 ALL 129 21 1 4.8 88.9 13.7 .220 .371 .386 .304 .332 28.6 21.2 15.2 MLB 40553 6.3 87.5 11.2 .251 .412 .317 .318 .371 34.5 21.7 8.3 Transactions Team Date Transaction 09/01/2019 Detroit Tigers selected the contract of RHP Bryan Garcia from Toledo Mud Hens. 05/29/2019 RHP Bryan Garcia assigned to Toledo Mud Hens from Erie SeaWolves. 05/16/2019 RHP Bryan Garcia assigned to Erie SeaWolves from Lakeland Flying Tigers. 05/02/2019 RHP Bryan Garcia assigned to Lakeland Flying Tigers from Toledo Mud Hens. 03/28/2019 Toledo Mud Hens placed RHP Bryan Garcia on the 7-day injured list. 09/14/2018 Toledo Mud Hens activated RHP Bryan Garcia from the 7-day injured list. 03/30/2018 Toledo Mud Hens placed RHP Bryan Garcia on the 7-day disabled list. 08/03/2017 RHP Bryan Garcia assigned to Toledo Mud Hens from Erie SeaWolves. 06/12/2017 RHP Bryan Garcia assigned to Erie SeaWolves from Lakeland Flying Tigers. 05/17/2017 RHP Bryan Garcia assigned to Lakeland Flying Tigers from West Michigan Whitecaps. 03/06/2017 Bryan Garcia assigned to Detroit Tigers. 03/06/2017 RHP Bryan Garcia assigned to Detroit Tigers. 09/04/2016 RHP Bryan Garcia assigned to West Michigan Whitecaps from Connecticut Tigers. 07/04/2016 RHP Bryan Garcia assigned to Connecticut Tigers from GCL Tigers West. 07/02/2016 RHP Bryan Garcia assigned to GCL Tigers West. 07/01/2016 Detroit Tigers signed RHP Bryan Garcia.
