As many of you know already, over these next few days I will be profiling some of the international free agents that figure to have an impact on the MLB in the next year or so. These guys are some of the best international players from all sorts of different places that are thinking about making the jump to Major League Baseball. Some of these guys you may have heard of, and others maybe not. There will be many different types of players that I will be looking at, but they all have one thing in common, they are the best of the rest throughout the world. Next up is Vladimir Garcia, a Cuban starting pitcher.
Vladimir Garcia, 31, is a 6"2' 250 pound righty that spent last season playing for the Ciego de Avilla Tigers in the Cuban Serie Nacional. This year in the split season of Cuba, Ciego didn't make the second round of the season so Garcia will inevitably be moved to another team when the second half begins. Garcia has been a starter over the course of his career in Cuba and has become one of the best pitchers on the island. He has decent stuff and is one of the hardest throwers in Cuba. He usually works off his fastball which ranges from the low to mid 90s and is his best pitch. He also utilizes a very strong slider in which he changes speeds well and can get it into the low 80s. He doesn't have a very effective third pitch at the moment, and developing a third pitch could be the difference in him becoming a major league starter or transitioning into the bullpen. He has big, strong build, and definitely has the velocity to make the jump to the MLB.
In the 2012-2013 Serie Nacional, Garcia make 13 starts pitching to a 2.02 ERA with 57 strikeouts and 18 walks in 84 2/3 innings. The ERA is solid, but the surrounding stats aren't anything special. For a guy with some of the best velocity in his league, one would expect his strikeout totals to be higher, but this could be due to the fact that he doesn't have a true third pitch in his arsenal. From what I've seen from him, if he can add a third offering, he has a chance to be a low end major league starter, but if not his ceiling is as a reliever. Even if he becomes a reliever, I don't see him as ever being closer material, but that would depend on how he fares if he does in fact come over soon. He is over 30 years old, so the chance that he just finishes his career out in Cuba looks more and more likely with each passing year. If he does come over he will likely just straight to the majors as a reliever. He is a little old to be a true prospect, but could definitely make a contribution in the majors and there are plenty of teams that could use him.
In the 2012-2013 Serie Nacional, Garcia make 13 starts pitching to a 2.02 ERA with 57 strikeouts and 18 walks in 84 2/3 innings. The ERA is solid, but the surrounding stats aren't anything special. For a guy with some of the best velocity in his league, one would expect his strikeout totals to be higher, but this could be due to the fact that he doesn't have a true third pitch in his arsenal. From what I've seen from him, if he can add a third offering, he has a chance to be a low end major league starter, but if not his ceiling is as a reliever. Even if he becomes a reliever, I don't see him as ever being closer material, but that would depend on how he fares if he does in fact come over soon. He is over 30 years old, so the chance that he just finishes his career out in Cuba looks more and more likely with each passing year. If he does come over he will likely just straight to the majors as a reliever. He is a little old to be a true prospect, but could definitely make a contribution in the majors and there are plenty of teams that could use him.