Carlos Garcia

The Pan-American Highway cuts through the northern Andes state of Tachira in western Venezuela, facing Colombia.1 The capital city of San Cristobal hovers 2,694 feet above the Torbes River, developing its own unique identity, more Colombian than Venezuelan. It was here on October 15, 1967, that Carlos Jesus García Guerrero was born.2 During his childhood, the family moved 815 miles east to Ciudad Bolivar, a tropical city on the south bank of the Orinoco River, neighboring Guyana.3

García’s initial baseball forays occurred in the family’s backyard, where the García brothers “kept themselves entertained by playing bottle cap baseball and throwing any piece of cowhide that came into their possession.”4 As a teenager, “I did not ever think I would play baseball. With my mother, it was school first, baseball later,” García once said.5 But he played baseball while attending Escuela Bolivar.6

García was 14 when he watched, on television, Venezuelan shortstop Dave Concepción become the MVP of the 1982 All-Star Game. García was hooked: “It was like I was dreaming awake. I thought, ‘I wish I could have the opportunity to be in one of those games.’ … But at the same time, I thought, ‘How can that happen?’”7 García wore number 13 as a tribute to Concepción: “He made me dream about being a major-league player.”8

Scouts for the Pittsburgh Pirates saw him playing softball at a local university and “ask(ed) me to play professional baseball. ‘I can try,’ I said.”9 The Pirates signed García as a non-drafted free agent on January 9, 1987. He was 19. He climbed the minor-league ladder, debuting in the majors in 1990. As he progressed, García “would find himself sitting with his nose pressed firmly against the window of the major leagues.”10 García returned home annually to play winter ball in the Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) “for my home crowd, my friends and family and give back to Venezuelan baseball.”11 To Venezuelans, García became known as “El Almirante” (The Admiral).12

For the 1987 season, the Pirates sent the scrawny right-handed-throwing and -batting García to their Class-A South Atlantic League affiliate at Macon, where he was “lost in a strange land without so much as a word of English in his vocabulary.”13 Baseball was his only companion. He remembered, “The first year was tough.”14 It was the first time García had left Venezuela. He was bewildered and could not read the newspapers, order food, or ask for directions. “He just wanted someone he could trust – someone who could call him and that he could develop a relationship with,” said his agent, Peter Greenberg.15 Manager Dennis Rogers was a mentor, picking up García at his home each day, and teaching García about life outside baseball.16

García demonstrated a work ethic and willingness to learn off and on the field. The next season the Macon franchise was transferred to Augusta and García was the starting shortstop. His play earned him a promotion to the Salem Buccaneers of the advanced Class-A Carolina League to finish the season.17 Pirates general manager Syd Thrift saw García as “a definite major-league prospect,” saying, “He’ll play in the majors, and he’ll play there for a long time.”18 García began the 1989 season with Salem, but in midseason was elevated to the Double-A the Harrisburg Senators (Eastern League). He began the 1990 campaign with Harrisburg performing well and earned another midseason promotion, to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. Teams began to ask the Pirates about García’s availability in a trade. The Pirates’ response was succinct: “He isn’t.”19 In fact García was called up to the majors on September 20, debuting that day as a pinch-hitter, collecting a single in his first major-league at-bat against Cubs pitcher Bill Long. García savored the experience, knowing “I was prepared mentally.”20

In García’s file at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, White Sox scouting reports on him from 1991 jump out. One described him as a “big man who can play SS position (with) RBI potential” and a player with the needed hands, arm and range “to be a 1st div. SS.” At the plate, García was “similar to Ripken, but faster and not quite Ripken power.”21 Another scout viewed García as a prospect whose attitude was “fair,” who hustled with “above av. speed and arm strength” with “fairly good hands & agility,” but was “laid back on some ground balls” and his “bat contact was below average.”22

As spring training opened in 1991, García was fully formed at 6-feet-1 and 185 pounds with a physique comparable to his hero Concepción. He began the season with the Bisons, endearing himself to the fans by his play on the field. In a game against the Louisville Sluggers on May 3, Sluggers starting pitcher Al Nipper was being shelled by the Bisons when in the bottom of the fifth, he hit García with a fastball “between the shoulder blades.”23 García “strolled slowly up the line” to first base.24 Pleasantries were exchanged. When García stole second, additional vitriol spewed. Nipper motioned García to fight. García charged Nipper, landing a punch. Both were ejected.25 García missed the next two games with a partially dislocated left shoulder after reporting tenderness, and needed surgery in the offseason to repair the damage.26 He was called up twice by the Pirates, appearing in 12 games.

García’s connection to Buffalo was cemented by more than his on-field prowess: he met Buffalo native Catherine Curran at a postgame concert by the rock band Chicago in August 1990. The couple “met through one of her friends and ex-Bison reliever Miguel García. Soon they were inseparable.”27 Catherine was a local attending the University of Buffalo with a desire to go to law school. On October 22, 1993, they married in her hometown of Lancaster, a Buffalo suburb, honeymooning in the Greek Islands.28

In 1992, García, still unmarried, was slated to be the Pirates’ utility player, but manager Jim Leyland felt García would be better served by playing every day in Buffalo, and García was sent down. He had “a penchant for getting down on himself.”29 When asked about the demotion, García said, “It’s a little disappointing because I worked so hard in the spring and everything went so well. … My girlfriend is from Buffalo, so that’s a good thing about it.”30

García’s best season with Buffalo resulted.31 He was selected to the 1992 Triple-A All-Star Game. On August 30 the Pirates called up the 24-year-old García.32 He played in the postseason, appearing in the second game of the NL Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves, going 0-for-1, playing second. It was his only postseason appearance. Though he was a member of two NL East championship teams, García “didn’t feel like part of the celebration because of his limited contributions.”33

García was at the stage that playing in Buffalo served no purpose. Jay Bell was entrenched as the Pirates shortstop. Room had to be made for García. Pirates GM Ted Simmons noted that “Carlos earned the right to play at the major league level and play every day. … We need to make room for him.”34 The Pirates traded All-Star second baseman José Lind to Kansas City, and slotted García as his replacement in 1993. García sensed this was the moment: “This is payment for six years’ work in the minors. God, thank you.”35

García represented the Pirates’s future. As an everyday player, he produced. On April 16, 1993, García hit his first major-league home run, an inside-the-park stroke, off the Dodgers’ Orel Hershiser. In an August 2 game against the Cubs, he led off the game with a homer and later hit a second homer. He was drilled by Bob Scanlan, precipitating a bench-clearing brawl. In the next game, in the first inning, Bob Castillo threw at García and hit him. García was unfazed: “I want to show people this is my league, too.”36 Leyland was impressed, noting that García “stood up and responded. I think he’s done a hell of a job.”37

For García, the highlight of the season was playing with Bell and admiring “how hard he works and his attitude and the way he plays the game” and being “proud that (Bell) won the Gold Glove with me playing beside him my first year.”38 García was named the Pirates’ Rookie of the Year by the Dapper Dan booster club.

Success continued in 1994. García was selected as the Pirates’ lone representative at the All-Star Game in Pittsburgh. He was humbled by the selection because “I never expected to make it so quickly in my career.”39 He replaced starter Mariano Duncan at second base in the fourth inning, grounding out to Cal Ripken.40 In the sixth, he singled to center off Randy Johnson, who picked him off at first. García thought back to Concepción, reminiscing, “I try to follow his example, and be the best I can.”41

During the offseason García had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, delaying his start to the 1995 season. He feared the knee was not right. His habit of self-reflection and consumed him, affecting his play. Leyland assured García that his knee was fine, noting that he was “in the lineup every day.”42 Going on a torrid streak in late June (27-for-74, .365), after a June 26 win over the Cubs, García said, “Early in the season I was thinking too much. Now I just go along with the pitch.”43 He had a career-high 21-game hitting streak.44 García continued to be productive in the 1996 season, hitting .285 with 6 homers, 44 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases. He was considered one of best fielding second baseman in the NL.

After agreeing to a salary of $1.35 million for 1996, more than five times his previous $250,000, García missed games with leg injuries. On April 13, 1996, García hit what was reported as the 8,000th homer in Pirates history, a two-run slam into Three Rivers Stadium’s left-field stands off the Expos’ Jeff Fassero.45 The team, though, played poorly. Changes were afoot. At the season’s conclusion, Leyland left to manage the Florida Marlins. On November 14, the Pirates trimmed $6 million from payroll, trading García and two others to Toronto for six prospects. “You knew they were going to trade everybody, and I’m glad it happened now rather than later,” García observed.46 Blue Jays GM Gord Ash needed a second baseman who could defend and hit. García was 29, starting over on a new team and league.47 “In our minds, we were trying to solidify second base. … We feel good about García,” said Ash.48 García was due to make $2.55 million.

All the hope García envisioned for 1997 dissipated during the first week of the season. Though playing solid defense, García had the worst batting average on the team, a dismal .105. Known as a conscientious teammate, García said that “I’m waiting for the perfect pitch and I want to hit it right out of Toronto now.”49 Manager Cito Gaston worked on García’s mechanics and considered dropping him in the order since “you don’t give up on a guy like that.”50 On April 22 García hit a game-winning two-run single off Anaheim reliever Mike James. His teammate Ed Sprague said, “What Carlos did, was big for him and the team. Everybody knew how much he wanted to show what he can do.”51

It did not get better. The Toronto press was unforgiving. “All of a sudden the bragged-about boost in production at second base has not happened and his defence has not been notably better,” commented one sportswriter.52 By the end of May, the Blue Jays were looking elsewhere. García went from the most sought-after second baseman to “excess baggage on a team going nowhere.”53 When the Jays acquired Duncan from the Yankees to be the everyday second baseman, García noticed: “I don’t see how my future could be here.”54 García “talked to Cito and he told me my problem was not my bat. It was my defence. … I was really confused.”55 An August game saw him pinch-hit and play at third, striking out in three at-bats in 10 pitches.56 The media saw a player with “no focus. He’s done as a Jay.”57

Ash tried to deal García. The few suitors wanted the Jays to cover his salary and include a top prospect. As his playing time diminished, García’s agent complained to Ash, who vented, “It’s a case of an agent not telling his client the whole truth. You’ve seen him play. If he can’t handle the position at second base, how is he going to play short?”58 A deal with the Pirates failed. García was left open to be drafted by the two expansion teams in November who showed no interest. On December 20 the Jays released him.

García had experienced a stretch of four solid seasons with Pittsburgh. There was talk of greatness. After the Pirates’ salary purge and a failed tenure with the Blue Jays, his career disintegrated. The Pirates invested in García. He was a Pirates guy. In an interview with Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, the writer reflected: “Once traded, no team would invest time in him. He was branded as a utility player going from one organization to another.”59

On January 6, 1998, the Indians signed García to a one-year deal at a nonguaranteed $650,000 with a performance option to solve their second-base problem. García was expected to platoon with Enrique Wilson. GM John Hart initially believed García gave “more depth at second base as well as being able to fill in at short and third.”60 When the Indians signed Shawon Dunston at the start of camp to play second, García was released on March 25.61 His career was in free fall.

Angels manager Terry Collins managed García in Buffalo and encouraged the Angels to sign him, which they did on March 30. Starting shortstop Gary Disarcina had suffered a wrist injury. García was hopeful to get a chance to play motivated, saying, “Every time I come to the ballpark, I expect to play.”62 He was 5-for-35 (.143) when he was placed on the injured list on May 13 for a strained right hamstring. He went on a rehab assignment to Triple-A Vancouver, batting .220 in 50 at-bats. He was designated for assignment to Vancouver, and was released on July 26.63

San Diego signed García as a nonroster invitee on December 27, 1998. He had been an All-Star four years earlier; now he was competing for a roster spot. García was bewildered: “Sometimes you wonder what happened to you. When you have a bad year, no one wants to give you a look. Why did everyone give up on me?”64

The dream lingered: “I now know I can still play. I need a place.”65 García made the 1999 Padres, starting at third base against Colorado on April 15. He went  0-for-2, grounding into a double play, and committing his second error of the season. He was batting .182. After the game the Padres designated García for assignment. Upon clearing waivers, García had the option of accepting the assignment or becoming a free agent. He accepted an assignment to the Triple-A Las Vegas Stars because “I need to play. The only way I could do it right here.”66 However, he had played his last major-league game.

“Always, it’s tough going back down,” García said.67 He was felled by ankle and foot injuries, playing sporadically in 78 games. He was released by San Diego after the season. He signed a minor-league deal with Anaheim on January 31, 2000, but the Angels released him on March 17. The Yankees signed García to a minor-league deal with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers. Columbus manager Trey Hillman said he was “definitely would be nice to have that veteran influence on our younger infielders.”68 Hillman said, “It’s a bonus having somebody who is bilingual out there.”69 The Yankees’ offer represented a chance. Playing against Buffalo appealed to García.

García’s role involved mentoring younger players, helping “those guys get ready, get through the different situations.”70 He was challenged by his changing role and a desire to return to the major leagues. He recognized the value of his experience: “I just want to make sure they understand the game and the way they should play the game, how they should prepare to play the game.”71

García remained optimistic during his two seasons at Columbus, believing he had value in the major leagues as a utility player. But there was no recall by the Yankees or any other team. García played his last professional game on September 3, 2001, as Columbus defeated the Toledo Mud Hens in the season finale. His last hit, in the fourth inning, was a homer.72

García signed a 2002 deal with the Indians to be a coach with the Buffalo Bisons.73 He was home living in the Buffalo suburbs with Catherine and their 4-year-old son. For three seasons García was the infield and hitting coach, translator and mentor, helping Spanish-speaking players with language and culture issues, much as Rogers, his manager at Macon, had done for him years before. García drew from his own experiences; recalling when “I came to the States and (had to deal with) two different cultures and the language barrier, but you had a chance to play baseball.”74 During the Bisons’ 2004 Governors’ Cup championship run, García coached a record-breaking offense achieving the highest batting average, and scoring more runs than any International League team in 50 years.75 García “emboldened his hitters to never to quit a game,” evident that the Bisons overcame seven-run deficits in four games in 2004.76

Mike Hargrove was hired as manager of Seattle in 2005. As a consultant with the Indians, Hargrove saw García at Buffalo “turn Jhonny Peralta into an International League MVP and make the Buffalo offense the most prolific in the IL in more than 50 years.”77 Hargrove offered García an opportunity he couldn’t refuse: Mariners first-base coach and infield instructor. He said that “being in Buffalo helped me get to the big leagues as a player, and now I went back there and got to the big leagues as a coach.”78

García developed ambitions to be a manager, “trying to learn as much as I can from Hargrove, one of the best managers in this game.”79 In 2006 García became the third-base coach, which taught him that “whatever decision you make in the third base coaching box, everybody is going to see it.”80 Under his tutelage, the Mariners led the AL in fielding percentage in 2005 and finished in the top five overall in 2006 and 2007.

Hargrove resigned suddenly on July 1, 2007. García was shocked.81 Hargrove’s impact on García was immense: “I was a little insecure when I got the job but Hargrove just told me to go out there and not be intimidated by anybody and show what you learned in those years playing and those years you were coaching in Buffalo.”82 On December 18, García was hired as the Pirates’ minor-league infield coordinator. Returning to the Pirates was a rebirth for Garcia: “I feel blessed because I have an opportunity to build up again.”83 “The more people we talked to about García, the more people raved about him,” Pirates player development director Kyle Stark said.84 With the Pirates’ encouragement, García managed Navegantes del Magallanes in the Venezuelan winter league, taking the team to the league championship series in 2009.85

Manager John Russell selected García to be the Pirates’ first-base coach and infield instructor for the 2010 season. Known for having an easygoing personality, García developed a reputation for being tough and demanding on his players, “as likely to offer a shout of encouragement through his rich Venezuelan accent, or even an embrace to someone who performs well.”86

After Russell was fired at end of the 2010 season, García was selected to be manager of the Pirates’ Florida State League advanced Class-A Bradenton Marauders. García’s goal was the same as his players: make it to the big leagues, this time as a manager. Bradenton was “a way to be able to give back to an organization that has helped give me everything in my career.”87 In an interview with Marauders broadcaster Joel Goddett, García said he would help the players deal with the wear and tear playing of every day, keeping an open mind, playing hard and embracing the process. García promised “good baseball,” respect for the game and the fans and a love for the game.88 Under his leadership, the team made the playoffs in 2011. His teams were well-coached and played hard.

On January 4, 2013, the Pirates promoted García to be the manager of the Double-A Altoona Curve. García was ready: “It’s a long, long road to the big leagues, and not everybody’s going to make it. But I’ll be able to relay to them what they need to do to get to that level.”89 García made it clear that he would hold his players accountable: “If you want to play for me, you have to be able to come to the ballpark and be ready to play.”90

After two losing seasons at Altoona, García was fired by the Pirates on September 22, 2014. “I put in (seven) years in the organization, and it really caught me by surprise,” he said.91 Pirates GM Neal Huntington said team record played no factor; it was about prospect development: “Carlos worked hard and tried to do the best he could. We just felt like it was time for a change.”92 The team completely cut ties with García without offering him a different role. Once again he was no longer a Pirate. The Pirates told him “definitely they don’t feel like I was doing it in the way they wanted me to do it.”93

García managed the Navegantes in winter ball for all or parts of seven seasons from 2009 to 2017, winning the 2013-2014 league championship.94 The team was runner-up for three seasons. In the middle of the 2017-2018 season, he took over as manager of the Tigres de Aragua. For 2018-2019, he was the batting coach for the Tiburones de La Guaria.

García was a coach for the Venezuelan National Team in the 2013 and 2017 World Baseball Classics. He was the batting coach for the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League for the spring 2018 season and was promoted to manager for the fall season. The team had a 14-5 start but on July 26, García resigned for personal reasons.

After a two-year absence from Venezuelan baseball, García returned as a manager of the Navegantes for the 2020-2021 season, leading them to the semifinals sparking great national interest. It ended sourly. On January 18, 2021, García was removed as manager prior to the deciding Game Five of the semifinals against Caribes de Anzoatequi after a group of players demanded his removal over a practice he called on an offday between Games Three and Four. Prior to Game Five, team President Maximiliano Branger announced that García showed symptoms of COVID-19 and was quarantined.95 García stated: “We only have one game left to reach the final and I want to see that moment. Unfortunately, I will see it on television.”96 He watched a loss.

In September 2021 the Venezuelan Baseball Federation named García manager of the country’s U-23 National Team for the 2021 World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Baseball World Cup tournament. Venezuela beat Mexico, 4-0, in the finals. García reflected: “My players really wanted this world title. I’ve managed for quite a while, but I rarely happened to work with such an inspiring group of players.”97

No matter where he played, coached, or managed, Buffalo was home with Catherine and their three children, Isabel, Carlos Jr., and Emanuel. “The fans were so great because they understood. You’d talk to them at card shows, and they were totally positive,” García said.98 Harrington saw other factors that tied García to Buffalo. Playing in the Buffalo in the early 1990s was like being in the majors, with attendance reaching 20,000 each night and yearly attendance over a million.99

At his induction into the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame on August 16, 2009, García stressed that “Buffalo was the trampoline for me to play in the big leagues and also to coach in the big leagues.”100 Harrington noted, “García is one of the top 15 players of the modern Buffalo Bison era and the best all-around shortstop.”101

The Venezuelan in García is an entrenched Buffalonian, a “place where I have great memories.”102 Interwoven with Buffalo and its working-class ethos, baseball allowed García to embark on the quixotic voyage from tropical Venezuela to the weather-beaten shores of Lake Erie.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted baseball-reference.com, retrosheet.org, mlb.com, Baseball America, Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional, http://pelotabinaria.com.ve/beisbol/, and the Giamatti Research Center at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Many thanks to SABR member Tony Oliver for his assistance, to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News for agreeing to be interviewed about Carlos García, and to Java Nation in Kensington, Maryland, where I researched and wrote several iterations of this biography.

 Notes

1 For a well-received history on the Pan American Highway see Eric Rutkow, The Longest Line on the Map: The United States, the Pan-American Highway, and the Quest to Link the Americas (New York: Scribners, 2019).

2 Spanish name customs have the first or paternal family name as García and the second or maternal family name as Guerrero.

3 Formerly known as Angostura and St. Thomas de Guyana, Ciudad Bolivar is the capital of Venezuela’s southeastern Bolívar State.

4 Chad Brockhoff, “Big-League Aspirations Bring Garcia Back to Bradenton,” Bradenton Patch, April 4, 2011. The game of bottle-cap baseball in the Dominican Republic is also called “chapita.” It is the traditional game that generations played. For more see: James Wagner, “Dominican Players Sharpen Their Skills With a Broomstick and Bottle Cap,” New York Times, October 6, 2017: Section SP, 1; A one-minute clip of chapita in Venezuela with Jose Altuve is shown at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T9C9zv2lYA.

5 Bob Hertzel, “Garcia Climbing Shortstop Ladder,” Pittsburgh Press, March 26, 1991: D1.

6 This is equivalent to a high school in the United States.

7 Paul Meyer, “Concepción’s Feats Prod Pirates’ Garcia, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 10, 1994: C-8.

8 Paul Meyer, “Garcia Honoring Dave Concepcion,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 9, 1993: C5

9 Hertzel.

10 Hertzel.

11 John Mehno, “This Fall, Bucs Really Need Some Seasoning – Around the Pirates,” Beaver County Times (Aliquippa, Pennsylvania), September 26, 2010: C1, 13. García played in the offseason with Navegantes del Magallanes until his release in 1998. He played the following season with Tigres de Aragua.

12 The sobriquet stemmed from García’s days as a player and later manager of Navegantes (Navigators) del Magallanes in the Venezuelan winter league.

13 Hertzel.

14 Hertzel.

15 Jerry Crasnick, “The Onslaught of Challenges can be Daunting,” ESPN.com, March 2, 2006. Crasnick wrote of the problems García had with language, “During Carlos Garcia’s tenure in Pittsburgh, he bought a gift for his wife at an upscale department store only to discover he had purchased the wrong size. When the language barrier became a problem, Garcia called Peter Greenberg, who resolved the dispute with the sales clerk over the phone.” Greenberg and García remain close friends, and Greenberg was García’s best man when he married.

16 Hertzel.

17 Macon relocated to Augusta, Georgia, for the 1988 season and became the Augusta Pirates. The team was later renamed the Augusta Green Jackets.

18 Paul Meyer, “Top Picks Not Always Top Performers in Minors,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 8, 1988: 20. Dennis Rogers managed in the Pittsburgh and Oakland minor-league systems and was the baseball coach for 25 years at Riverside City College in Riverside, California. He was elected to the Riverside Sports Hall of Fame in 2016. See https://www.rccathletics.com/sports/bsb/coaches/Rogers-_Dennis?view=bio , accessed January 25, 2023.

19 Paul Meyer, “Garcia’s Message to NL: He’s a Star on the Rise,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 26, 1993: D-11.

20 Bon Hertzel, “Garcia Climbing Shortstop Ladder,” Pittsburgh Press, March 26, 1991: D2.

21 Chicago White Sox Professional Individual Scouting Report, “Carlos Garcia Scouting Report, 1990, June 24.”

22 Chicago White Sox Professional Individual Scouting Report, “Carlos Garcia Scouting Report, 1990, July 30.”  Baseball America ranked Garcia as the number 62 prospect in baseball in 1991 and as number 45 in 1993.

23 Bob DiCesare, “Herd Cruises to Win After Stop for Brawl,” Buffalo News, May 4, 1991: C3.

24 DiCesare, “Herd Cruises to Win.”

25 DiCesare, “Herd Cruises to Win.”

26 Bob DiCesare, “Garcia Out With Injury Suffered in Friday Night Brawl,” Buffalo News, May 5, 1991: C6.

27 No relation to Carlos García; Mike Harrington, “Newlywed Garcia Knows Baseball Honeymoon’s Over,” Buffalo News, October 26, 1993: D1.

28 Harrington, “Newlywed Garcia Knows Baseball Honeymoon’s Over.”

29 Mark Gaughan, “Garcia Able to Put Return to Bisons in Perspective,” Buffalo News, April 6, 1992: B1.

30 Gaughan.

31 García batted .303 with 13 homers, 70 RBIs, and a team-high 21 stolen bases.

32 When recalled, García was eighth in the American Association with a .303 average including 13 homers, 70 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases.

33 Harrington, “Newlywed Garcia Knows Baseball Honeymoon’s Over.”

34 Ken Wunderly, “Bucs’ Money Moves Continue: Lind to KC,” Washington (Pennsylvania) Observer-Reporter, November 20, 1992: B-8.

35 Paul Meyer, “Bucs’ Garcia Set for Major Step,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 11, 1993: C-1.

36 Marino Parascenzo, “After Making Right Move, Garcia Fields DD Award,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, February 3, 1994: D-5.

37 Paul Meyer, “Garcia’s Message to NL: He’s a Star on the Rise,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 28, 1993: D-11.

38 Alan Richman (Associated Press), “Garcia Next Great Pirate?” Ocala (Florida) Star-Banner, March 12, 1994: 5C. García batted .269 with 12 homers in 141 games. He finished ninth in Rookie of the Year voting and was named to the Topps All-Star Rookie Team.

39 Paul Meyer, “Garcia Is Pirates’ Lone All-Star Player,” Pittsburgh-Post Gazette, July 4, 1994: D-1.

40 Duncan was acquired by Toronto during the 1997 season, replacing the benched Garcia at second.

41 Meyer, “Concepción’s Feats Prod Pirates’ Garcia.”.

42 Latrobe (Pennsylvania) Bulletin, May 10, 1995: 15.

43 “Pirates 8, Cubs 6,” Gadsen (Alabama) Times,” June 27, 1995: B6.

44 For the 1995 season, García hit .294 with 6 homers and 50 RBIs.

45 Paul Meyer, “Wagner Has Yet to Give Up a Run,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 14, 1996: E-1; 2014 Altoona Curve Media & Information Guide (Altoona, Pennsylvania: Lozinak Professional Baseball, LLC, 2014), 12. https://www.scribd.com/document/216902093/2014-Altoona-Curve-Media-Guide. Accessed April 10, 2020.

46 Paul Meyer, “Payroll Savings Plan: Garcia, Merced, Plesac to Toronto for Six Prospects,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 15, 1996, B-1.

47 “Rating the Trade,” Toronto Star, November 15, 1996: E7.

48 Mark Zwolinski, “Jays Shore Up Lineup in Nine-Player Deal,” Toronto Star, November 15, 1996: E1.

49 Mark Zwolinski, “Garcia Certain Patience at Plate Will Soon Pay Off,” Toronto Star, April 8, 1997: B5.

50 Zwolinski, “Garcia Certain Patience at Plate Will Soon Pay Off,”

51 Mark Zwolinski, “Jays’ Garcia Finally Delivers,” Toronto Star, April 24, 1997: B8.

52 Richard Griffin, “Rocket Draws a Crowd as He Bids for Milestone,” Toronto Star, May 22, 1997: C5.

53 Richard Griffin, “Confused Garcia on Way Out,” Toronto Star, August 22, 1997: C3.

54 Griffin.

55 Griffin.

56 Griffin. García ended the season batting .220, a drop-off of .65 points with anemic power numbers in 103 games played.

57 Griffin.

58 Griffin.

59 Interview with Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News on October 30, 2020.

60 Associated Press, “Tribe Turns to Garcia to Help at Second Base/Veteran Hit .220 with Toronto Last Season,” Akron Beacon Journal, January 7, 1998: B3.

61 Sheldon Ocker, “Garcia Released as Wilson Stays,” Akron Beacon Journal (online), March 26, 1998: E3.

62 Chris Foster, “DiSarcina Sees Wrist Specialist,” Los Angeles Times, April 9, 1998.

63 Kevin Aceet, “Finley Not at Wit’s End Yet,” Orange County Register (Santa Ana, California), July 27, 1998: C6.

64 Bill Center, “For Two Padres, Spring Follows a Fall. Once Coveted, Garcia, Owens Now Competing for the Last Roster Spot,” San Diego Union-Tribune, March 26, 1999: D1.

65 Center.

66 Mark Anderson, “Rossy Returns to Fill Void Left by Injured Shortstops,” Las Vegas Review-Journal (online), April 27, 1999.

67 Anderson.

68 Scott Priestle, “Pitcher Breaks Hallowed New Ground in Yankees Camp,” Columbus Dispatch, March 27, 2000: 5E.

69 Scott Priestle. “Playing The Field May Turn Into Adventure,” Columbus Dispatch, April 5, 2000, 5.

70 Priestle, Playing The Field May Turn Into Adventure

71 Priestle, Playing The Field May Turn Into Adventure

72 Stephanie Storm, “Clippers Pitcher Sees Season End Just a Little Too Soon,” Columbus Dispatch, September 4, 2001: 07E. It was the final game played in Ned Skeldon Stadium in Toledo, Ohio.

73 The Buffalo Bisons team was the Triple-A affiliate of the Pirates from 1988 to 1994 and the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians from 1995 to 2008.

74 Amy Moritz, “Latin Rites: Carlos Garcia Smooths Transition for Bisons’ Spanish-Speaking Players,” Buffalo News (online), August 25, 2003.

75 The 2004 Buffalo Bisons had a team batting average of .297.

76 Interview with Mike Harrington.

77 Mike Harrington, “Garcia Follows His Dream to Seattle,” Buffalo News, July 24, 2005: C8.

78 Harrington, “Garcia Follows His Dream to Seattle.”

79 Harrington, “Garcia Follows His Dream to Seattle.”

80 “Garcia’s Aggressive Coaching From Third Works,” Altoona Mirror, June 6, 2013.

81 Mike Harrington, “Garcia Survives Bump,” Buffalo News, July 11, 2007: D3.

82 Harrington, “Garcia Survives Bump.”

83 Mike Harrington, “Here’s Hope for Long-Suffering Bucs Fans,” Buffalo News, August 23, 2009: B7.

84 John Perrotto, “Pirates Notes: Thrilled with Garcia,” Beaver County Times, December 30, 2007.

85 For the 2009-10 season García set the league record for most wins with 41 and received the Alfonso “Chico” Carrasquel award as Manager of the Year.

86 Dejan Kovacevic, “Looking for Meaning in 2010,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 4, 2010: D-8.

87 Chad Brockhoff, “Big League Aspirations Bring Garcia Back to Bradenton,” Bradenton Florida Patch, April 4, 2011.

88 “Meet the Manager: Carlos Garcia with Joel Goddett,” www.bradentonmarauders.com, January 7, 2001. See

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bzwAaxwT78. Accessed June 20, 2020.

89 “Ex-Pirate All-Star Named Curve Manager,” Altoona Mirror, January 5, 2013.

90 “Ex-Pirate All-Star Named Curve Manager.”

91 “Pirates Part Ways with Garcia,” Altoona Mirror, September 22, 2014.

92 Bill Brink, “Pirate Notebook: Altoona Manager Garcia Fired,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 23, 2014: E-5.

93 “Pirates Part Ways with Garcia.”

94 In the 2014 Caribbean Series, the team reached the semifinal, losing to Indios de Mayagüez of Puerto Rico’s Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente. The champions were the Mexican Pacific League’s Naranjeros de Hermosillo.

95 Andriw Sanchez, “Magallanes sin Carlos García: el Almirante Problemas de Salud,” Triángulo Deportivo – TIC Televisión: January 18, 2021. See https://triangulodeportivo.com/2021/01/18/magallanes-sin-carlos-garcia-el-almirante-problemas-de-salud/, accessed May 6, 202; See also https://twitter.com/ElExtrabase/status/1351306658283216897?s=20, accessed May 7, 2021.

96 Mari Montes and Daniel Alvarez, “Carlos García: Separado, Pero no Alejado de la Nave,” El Extrabase, January 19, 2021. The García quote is a translation from Spanish to English.

97 WSBC.org, “Managers Enrique Reyes, Carlos García Comment on Final of the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup,” October 3, 2021. https://u23bwc.wbsc.org/en/2021/news/managers-enrique-reyes-carlos-garcia-comment-on-final-of-the-wbsc-u-23-baseball-world-cup, accessed October 20, 2021.

98 Harrington, “Newlywed Garcia Knows Baseball Honeymoon’s Over.”

99 Interview with Mike Harrington.

100 Mike Harrington, “Garcia Great for Herd as Player, Coach,” Buffalo News, August 16, 2009: Blog. As of August 1, 2021, García was one of 101 members of the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame. For more, see https://www.milb.com/buffalo/history/hall-of-fame.

101 Interview with Mike Harrington. The modern era of the Buffalo Bisons commenced in 1985 with its return to the Triple-A American Association. In the interview, Harrington wondered aloud why no team had hired García as a hitting or fielding coach given his success in Buffalo and Seattle.

102 Mike Harrington, “Garcia Grateful for Shot with Yankees,” Buffalo News (online), May 16, 2000; Carlos García’s Instagram page can be accessed at https://www.instagram.com/carlosgarcia13oficial/?hl=en.