Ryan Garcia (baseball)

Last updated
42+13 innings. [2] Undrafted out of high school, he attended the University of California, Los Angeles where he played college baseball for the UCLA Bruins. As a freshman in 2017, he posted a 2–0 record with a 6.57 ERA over 12+13 innings. [2] That summer he played for the Waterloo Bucks in the Northwoods League, going 3–2 with a 1.88 ERA with 52 strikeouts over 48 innings. [3] As a sophomore in 2018, Garcia excelled to an 8–1 record with a 2.23 ERA and 76 strikeouts over 76+23 innings. [2] He followed up that summer by playing in the Cape Cod League for the Wareham Gatemen, where he went 2–0 with a 1.29 ERA with 33 strikeouts over 28 innings. [4] Garcia's best season came as a junior in 2019. He posted a 10–1 record with a 1.44 ERA and 117 strikeouts over 94 innings. [5] He was named the 2019 Pac-12 Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Year and was named a First Team All-American. [6]

Professional career

Garcia was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the second round (50th overall) of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. [7] He signed with them for a $1,469,900 signing bonus. [8] Garcia split his first professional season between the AZL Rangers of the Rookie-level Arizona League and the Spokane Indians of the Low-A Northwest League, posting a 3.60 ERA in five innings over three games. [9] He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. [10]

Garcia suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament which required Tommy John surgery in March 2020. [11] The surgery and his rehab caused him to miss the 2021 season. Garcia returned to game action in 2022 with the Down East Wood Ducks of the Low-A Carolina League and the Hickory Crawdads of the High-A South Atlantic League, posting a combined 2–2 record with a 1.91 ERA and 74 strikeouts over 56+23 innings. [12] Garcia spent the 2023 season with the Frisco RoughRiders of the Double-A Texas League, struggling to a 3–9 record with a 6.66 ERA with 110 strikeouts over 98+23 innings.

In 2024, Garcia made 24 starts for Frisco and the Triple-A Round Rock Express, posting a combined 10-7 record and 3.77 ERA with 126 strikeouts over 124 innings of work. [13] He returned to Round Rock for the 2025 season, but struggled to a 2-4 record and 7.64 ERA with 57 strikeouts across 27 appearances (six starts). Garcia elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2025. [14]

References

  1. Sondheimer, Eric (2014-12-25). "Baseball: La Salle's Ryan Garcia commits to UCLA". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  2. 1 2 3 "Ryan Garcia - Baseball". UCLA Bruins baseball . Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  3. "Bucks See 4 Former Players Selected in 2019 MLB Draft". Waterloo Bucks . 2019-06-06. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  4. Lang, Andrew. "5 Gatemen represent Wareham in All-Star Game". Wareham Gatemen . Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  5. "UCLA's Ryan Garcia named 2019 Pac-12 Baseball Pitcher of the Year". Yahoo Sports . May 29, 2019. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  6. "Garcia, Powell Selected as All-Americans by Baseball America". UCLA Bruins . June 10, 2019. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  7. Escarcega, James (2019-06-04). "Former La Salle standout Ryan Garcia, Ayala's Joe Naranjo selected in early rounds of MLB Draft". San Gabriel Valley Tribune . Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  8. "Rangers Sign Second Round Pick RHP Ryan Garcia". MLB.com . June 18, 2019. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  9. Nichols, Dave (July 6, 2019). "Texas Rangers prospect Ryan Garcia joins Spokane Indians after a successful season at UCLA | The Spokesman-Review". Spokesman Review . Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  10. "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  11. Morris, Adam J. (2020-10-03). "2019 2nd rounder Ryan Garcia had Tommy John surgery". Lone Star Ball (SB Nation). Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  12. Postins, Matthew (August 30, 2022). "Rangers Prospect Wins Carolina League Award". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  13. "Ryan Garcia Stats & Scouting Report". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  14. "Minor League Free Agents 2025". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
Ryan Garcia
Free agent
Pitcher
Born: (1998-01-24) January 24, 1998 (age 27)
Arcadia, California, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right