Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE
It’s been a long time since the Detroit Tigers have called up a rookie in September, and within five at-bats, he’s a fan favorite. Avisail Garcia has done just that with Tigers fans.
Perhaps he tugs on Tigers fans heart because of his resounding resemblance to Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera and Garcia have quickly grown to be close friends as well.
On the day of Garcia’s call up, Cabrera took the 21-year-old under his wing. Both 6’4” giants walking around Comerica Park talking about baseball, and Cabrera giving Garcia tips on pitchers and hitting.
With only 15 plate appearances underneath the belt of the young man people have deemed “Little Miggy”, not a lot is known about Garcia. Like where he came from and how he was in the minor leagues.
In 2007 the Tigers singed Garcia as a amateur free agent out of Venezuela. In 2008 Garcia got his first taste of pro-baseball. In his first year of pro-baseball he hit .298 with seven home runs and 34 RBIs.
In 2009 Garcia split time between A and advanced A-ball. He struggled in the 85 games. Failing to hit above .260 between the two leagues. But Garcia would bounce back in 2010, then struggle a little more in 2011.
But it was 2012 where Garcia really broke out and got the attention of the Tigers. In 2012 he hit .299 with 14 HRs and 58 RBIs between A and Double-A. It impressed the Tigers so much he skipped Triple-A completely and found himself on a roster in September chasing a playoff spot.
With only 15 plate apperances, Garcia’s .357 average is a bit skewed. But he has already made a difference. His first major league hit was with two outs and scored a big run against the Chicago White Sox to help the Tigers win a game.
Scouts have said this big right handed hitter posses developing power. And being 6’4” 240 pounds, it’s not hard to see he is going to mash. Garcia has a decent glove, cannon for an arm, but also had good speed for someone of his stature.
There is a lot of promise for this young man. With not even three weeks in the major leagues, he’s become a fan favorite, collected a few big hits, and had gotten Tigers fans excited for the future. With a little more development and time, Garcia could be something special.
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