INF Greg Garcia has multiple layers of value to the Padres
One of the smartest moves made by Padres general manager A.J. Preller following the end of the 2018 season was claiming utility infielder Greg Garcia off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals.
It also happened to be one of the best things to happen to Garcia.
The claim served two purposes.
It gave the Padres a versatile middle infielder who was also a left-handed hitter, and it gave Garcia a chance to return home.
“When I heard the Padres had claimed me, my reaction was ‘this is all good,’” Garcia said last year. “When I was a kid, I dreamed about playing for the Padres, first as far back when they were still playing at Qualcomm Stadium.”
Garcia is from a three-generation baseball family. Greg’s late grandfather Dave Garcia was a Padres coach in the 1970s, later served as the manager of the California Angels and Cleveland Indians and was regarded as one of the top coaches and scouts in the game. Greg’s father was also a coach.
Greg Garcia graduated from Valhalla high school and played baseball at Grossmont College and the University of Hawaii before signing with the Cardinals as a seventh-round pick in 2010.
Garcia became a key member of the Padres in 2019, playing in 134 of the club’s 162 games while 74 starts at five of the six spots where he was deployed — second base (57), third base (12), shortstop (4) and designated hitter (one). He also played a game as a reserve at first base and left field.
The action also resulted in some of the best offensive numbers in Garcia’s career. He hit his exact career average of .248 with a .364 on-base percentage and a .714 OPS. He set career highs in plate appearances (372), at-bats (311), hits (77), doubles (13), triples (4), home runs (4), RBIs (31), runs scored (52) and walks (53).
When the Padres developed problems at second base, Gracia stepped in and hit .242 with a .361 on-base percentage.
But Garcia’s true value was in his versatility and the enthusiasm he brought to a bench role that many players struggle with.
Garcia hit .278 in 46 appearances as a pinch-hitter with a .433 on-base percentage — going 10-for-36 with eight walks. He was also hit twice by pitches. The left-handed hitter also batted .254 against right-handed pitching with a .370 on-base percentage and a .743 OPS.
Although the 30-year-old Garcia’s true strength rests in his versatility and high on-base percentage as a bat off the bench, he was still very involved in a three-way battle at second base with Jurickson Profar and Brian Dozier when spring training was suspended last month.
Plus, San Diego native Garcia has become popular with Padres fans.
