Ed. note: Julio Garcia has been stateside so briefly, pictures are hard to come by. A special thanks to Jerry Espinoza for letting us use the great photo above.
In 10 words or less: This International Bonus Baby is young and toolsy, but also incredibly raw.
Position: SS | Age (2016): 18
Bats: R | Throws: R
Height: 6’0″ | Weight: 175
2015 Rank: Unranked
OFFENSE
Contact – D. Garcia just turned 18, so understandably there are some holes in his game. So far, despite the Angels being high on Julio offensively, he just hasn’t produced yet. Part of the problem here is an overly long swing that looks good in BP, but come game time leaves his susceptible to any quality fastball on the upper half or in, which of course sets him up perfectly for a breaking ball on the outer half.
Power – F. Julio may have just turned 18, but he still hasn’t grown into what most would consider a “man body”, which just makes me laugh saying it, despite its accuracy. Garcia is still quite weak in his upper half, and it takes considerable effort for him to handle the bat. This will improve as he ages obviously, but even then, I’m just not sure it’s part of Garcia’s game.
Discipline – F. There isn’t any discipline to speak of yet. Granted, he’s only had approximately one year of experience in professional ball, but the numbers and reports both indicate that Garcia isn’t there yet offensively to begin generating walks.
Speed – A-. If there is one category we can positively report on with Garcia, it would be his speed. He has a fast first step both from the right and left sides of the plate and can fly down the line. Once he hits his stride, the steps become longer and faster, allowing Garcia to reach elite levels of speed on the base paths. He’s a very efficient base stealing threat and figures to continue to be one even as he ages.
DEFENSE
Arm – B. Garcia comes with the perfectly built arm for shortstop. It isn’t as strong as new Angels shortstop, or even as good as Aybar’s was when he first came up, but Garcia’s arm is close. It’s particularly impressing moving to his left as he’s able to pull off a bit of the Jeter jump throw, at least in practice he is.
Fielding – D. Despite all the defensive talent in the world, at the professional level, footwork, finesse and focus all play a major role in a player’s ability to consistently make the necessary plays. Garcia definitely has the footwork down, and finesse to an extent, but it’s the focus I think that he loses, which isn’t unusual. Angels fans may remember Erick Aybar when he first came up had the same problems. Garcia will eventually be an above average defensive shortstop, even possibly a VERY good one, but he’ll need to spend hours of practice and game experience before he gets there.
Range – A. Garcia has as much range as any Angel shortstop right now other than Simmons. Both to his left and right, doesn’t matter, he gets to the ball.
OVERALL
Performance – D. Typically, I’d have labeled Garcia’s season an F. He didn’t hit, he didn’t field, he was just overwhelmed. However, he did improve ever so slightly this year as a 17 year old in the Dominican Republic, enough to garner a promotion stateside to finish out the season with the Angels Rookie Ball affiliate in Arizona. That has to count for something.
Projection – B. This grade right here is the entire reason Garcia is even in the Top 30. Well that and the weak state of the Angels farm system. If Garcia plays up to his ability and continues to progress and grow the way the Angels envisioned when they signed him, Garcia should turn into a very good ball player. Capable of being one of the better defensive shortstops in the game as well hitting and running just enough to crack the starting lineup. In essence, a poor man’s version of Andrelton Simmons.
What to expect in 2016 – Garcia should return to Arizona next year for his age 18 season. I think the angels will be focusing on growth and consistency in all areas f his game, as he may be one of the more prospects we’ve seen.
Most Likely Scenario – Grows into his body and refines his skill set, eventually developing into a solid glove SS with the ability to pick it at 2B and 3B and becomes a utility infielder that spends the occasional few games in the big leagues.
Grade as a Prospect – C. The Angels signed Garcia for $565,000 a little over a year ago because they believed in his ability to grow into a star. He does have the standout tools to make good on that investment. But right now, that’s still a long way off.
Estimated Time of Arrival – 2022. Yeah, that’s a long way away. And the funny part, Julio will still only be 23 years old. That’s how young he is. He should head back to the Arizona Summer League this year and continue to get his work in at the Angels facility there. He just needs reps.
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