New York Yankees The
New York Yankees drafted Garcia in the third round, with the 99th overall selection, of the
2004 Major League Baseball draft, and he made his professional debut in the
Rookie-level Gulf Coast League (GCL) with the
GCL Yankees. One of the top prospects in the GCL in 2004, Garcia was promoted to the
Charleston RiverDogs of the
Single–A South Atlantic League in 2005. Garcia experienced a torn
ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, which required
Tommy John surgery in 2007. Garcia experienced a recurrence of pain in his right elbow, which required his second elbow surgery, to repair a
bone spur.
Washington Nationals On August 1, 2011, Garcia signed a minor league contract with the
Washington Nationals organization. In 2012, he allowed only five earned runs in 45 appearances, for a combined ERA of 0.86 for the
Harrisburg Senators of the Eastern League and
Syracuse Chiefs of the
Triple–A International League. On September 3, 2012, Garcia was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. The following day, he made his major league debut, inducing a
pop-up to end an inning. Nationals manager
Davey Johnson said on September 24 that the team may attempt to convert Garcia into a starter for the 2013 season, citing his fully developed repertoire of pitches. Garcia spent most of the 2013 season on the disabled list with a torn wrist tendon, shoulder and hamstring injuries, with minor league rehab assignments at Single–A
Potomac, Double–A Harrisburg, and Triple–A Syracuse. Garcia was released by the Nationals on June 25, 2014. ==Pitching style==