The Yankees’ farm system features a big-name arm in top prospect Deivi Garcia. Can the young righty be a contributor to the Bombers in 2020?
The Yankees’ farm system is not what it used to be. From a system that once had Gleyber Torres, Miguel Andujar, Clint Frazier, Aaron Judge, and others, the current farm system, although not completely barren, is far from elite. Thankfully, that’s because those players have all graduated from the minors and, for the most part, worked out. Judge is a superstar, Andujar was a Rookie of the Year runner up in 2018, and Torres is growing into a perennial all-star. However, although the farm system isn’t superb like it was a few years ago, there is a promising young starter who could make an impact this season: Deivi Garcia.
Who is Deivi Garcia?
Garcia was signed as an international prospect back in July of 2015. He has since climbed through the minor leagues and even pitched in the Futures Game last season. He showed promising numbers in Single-A and Double-A in 2019, pitching to a 3.06 ERA in 17.2 innings with 33 strikeouts in Tampa and then a 3.86 ERA in 53.2 innings and 87 strikeouts in Trenton.
In Triple-A, Garcia stumbled a little, pitching to just a 5.40 ERA in 40.0 innings and striking out 45. With that being said, the strikeout stuff is there, as Garcia pitched to a 13.3 K/9 in 2019. However, his big bugaboo is the walks, as he was averaging 4.4 BB/9 last season.
Trade Rumors?
Don’t be surprised if Garcia is dangled in a trade for another big-time star. There is no speculation or factual evidence saying he will be traded, but if the Yankees look to improve their team via trade, Garcia will likely be asked to headline a package.
I don’t expect Garcia to be traded, as the Bombers seem set with their current roster. A significant need would have to arise for the Yanks to heavily pursue a big-name player that would require a top prospect to get a potential deal done. Until we hear significant movement regarding Garcia or the Yankees pursuing a star on the trade market, expect Garcia to be a Yankee for the foreseeable future.
Can the Yankees Benefit from Garcia in 2020?
As it stands now, the Yankees seem set with their current rotation. After the front four of Gerrit Cole, Luis Severino, James Paxton, and Masahiro Tanaka, the back end of the starting five seems most likely to be manned like J.A. Happ (assuming he isn’t traded). Until Domingo German returns, who has been suspended the first 63 games of the season, the Yankees will probably rely on Happ or Luis Cessa to round out the rotation.
However, as all Yankee fans know, injuries happen. if an arm goes down or two, expect Garcia to be considered highly to get the call to the bigs, assuming he produces in the minors to start 2020. One way or another, I would like to imagine we see the top prospect debut next season, whether that be as a late-season call-up or an early-season contributor.
Garcia isn’t too far off from making an impact on a major-league mound. It will be exciting to watch the young righty in March, hopefully foreshadowing what he can bring to the table in 2020.