Jaime Garcia (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Jaime Omar García is a Major League Baseball
pitcher
for the St. Louis Cardinals
.
as the second of three children to civil engineer
Jaime García, Sr. and Gloria Rodríguez Flores.
García was raised between the border of Reynosa, Mexico and McAllen, Texas
.
He attended Sharyland High School
in Mission, Texas
.
in the 30th round of the 2004 MLB Draft
. Due to a poorly translated test, the Orioles initially chose not to sign García. By the time a new scouting director changed the team's position, García opted to re-enter the draft.
García was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals
in the 22nd round of the 2005 MLB Draft
. Joe Almaraz, the Orioles scout who wanted to sign García in 2004, had moved on to the Cardinals organization, and was influential in the Cardinals selection of García. García made his major league debut in relief on July 11, 2008 against the Pittsburgh Pirates
, pitching two innings, giving up one hit
, walking
one, and striking out
two.
García underwent Tommy John surgery
following the 2008 season, causing him to miss most of the season. Late in the 2009 season, García returned to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds
. On September 9, 2009, García retired the first 13 batters he faced in the Redbirds first playoff game against the Albuquerque Isotopes
.
The 2010 MLB season was García's first full season in the majors. He was chosen as the number five starter over fellow lefty Rich Hill, who started the season with the Memphis Redbirds in AAA, and Kyle McClellan
, who returned to the bullpen for the Cardinals. He finished the season in third place in the voting for NL Rookie of the Year with a record of 13–8, and an ERA
of 2.70 (4th in the NL). García was named a starting pitcher on Baseball America's 2010 All-Rookie Team and a pitcher on the 2010 Topps
Major League Rookie All-Star Team
.
García began the 2011 season as the number three starter. On May 6, 2011 García took a perfect game into the 8th inning, before a one out walk, followed by a hit. The near-perfect game ended as a two hit complete-game shutout. On July 13, 2011 it was announced that the Cardinals signed García to a 4-year contract extension that guarantees him $27.5 million. The contract includes a club option for the following two seasons. With the club option, García has the opportunity to earn $50 million, which could keep him with the team for six years until 2017.
In 2011, García was 13–7, second in the NL in complete games (2), shutouts (2), and wild pitches (12), and his .650win-loss percentage was 9th-best in the National League.
The St. Louis Cardinals advanced to play the Texas Rangers
in the 2011 World Series
after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies
and Milwaukee Brewers in the playoffs. When García started Game 2, he became the second Mexican-born pitcher, with Fernando Valenzuela
being the first in 1981, to ever start a World Series. Garcia pitched 10 innings, including seven scorless innings, and posted a 1.80 era with 10 strikeouts in the series. On October 28, 2011 the Cardinals defeated the Rangers 4-3 in the best-of-seven series after being down 3-2 to claim the franchise's 11th World Series title.
He has a large family that reside in Reynosa, Mexico, McAllen, Texas
and Dallas, Texas
. Ironically, García being a left-handed pitcher, his mother Gloria is the only lefty among ten children born to Armando Rodríguez and Consuelo Flores (García's grandparents). García and his mother are also the only lefties among their immediate five member family.
García resides in McAllen, Texas in the off-season.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
for the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
.
Early life
Jaime García was born on July 8, 1986 in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
as the second of three children to civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
Jaime García, Sr. and Gloria Rodríguez Flores.
García was raised between the border of Reynosa, Mexico and McAllen, Texas
McAllen, Texas
McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. It is located at the southern tip of Texas in an area known as the Rio Grande Valley and is part of the . Its southern boundary is located about five miles from the U.S.–Mexico border and the Mexican city of Reynosa, the Rio...
.
He attended Sharyland High School
Sharyland High School
Sharyland High School is a high school in Mission, Texas, United States. The school, which is classified as "5A" by the UIL, is a part of the Sharyland Independent School District....
in Mission, Texas
Mission, Texas
Mission is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 77,058 at the 2010 census Mission is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas.-Geography:Mission is located at ....
.
Professional career
García was drafted by the Baltimore OriolesBaltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
in the 30th round of the 2004 MLB Draft
2004 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams...
. Due to a poorly translated test, the Orioles initially chose not to sign García. By the time a new scouting director changed the team's position, García opted to re-enter the draft.
García was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in the 22nd round of the 2005 MLB Draft
2005 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams...
. Joe Almaraz, the Orioles scout who wanted to sign García in 2004, had moved on to the Cardinals organization, and was influential in the Cardinals selection of García. García made his major league debut in relief on July 11, 2008 against the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
, pitching two innings, giving up one hit
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
, walking
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
one, and striking out
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
two.
García underwent Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery, known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body...
following the 2008 season, causing him to miss most of the season. Late in the 2009 season, García returned to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds
Memphis Redbirds
The Memphis Redbirds are the Triple-A minor league baseball affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They play their home games at AutoZone Park in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The stadium's capacity is 14,320. They entered the Pacific Coast League as an expansion team in 1998, and were owned as a...
. On September 9, 2009, García retired the first 13 batters he faced in the Redbirds first playoff game against the Albuquerque Isotopes
Albuquerque Isotopes
The Albuquerque Isotopes are a minor league baseball team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers...
.
The 2010 MLB season was García's first full season in the majors. He was chosen as the number five starter over fellow lefty Rich Hill, who started the season with the Memphis Redbirds in AAA, and Kyle McClellan
Kyle McClellan
Kyle William McClellan is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. He attended Hazelwood West High School. After graduating from high school, McClellan was drafted by the St...
, who returned to the bullpen for the Cardinals. He finished the season in third place in the voting for NL Rookie of the Year with a record of 13–8, and an ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
of 2.70 (4th in the NL). García was named a starting pitcher on Baseball America's 2010 All-Rookie Team and a pitcher on the 2010 Topps
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc., manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York, New York, Topps is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.-Company history:Topps itself was...
Major League Rookie All-Star Team
Topps All-Star Rookie Rosters
This is a year-by-year list of the Topps All-Star Rookie teams. Note that players selected for a particular team appear in the following year's set release...
.
García began the 2011 season as the number three starter. On May 6, 2011 García took a perfect game into the 8th inning, before a one out walk, followed by a hit. The near-perfect game ended as a two hit complete-game shutout. On July 13, 2011 it was announced that the Cardinals signed García to a 4-year contract extension that guarantees him $27.5 million. The contract includes a club option for the following two seasons. With the club option, García has the opportunity to earn $50 million, which could keep him with the team for six years until 2017.
In 2011, García was 13–7, second in the NL in complete games (2), shutouts (2), and wild pitches (12), and his .650win-loss percentage was 9th-best in the National League.
The St. Louis Cardinals advanced to play the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
in the 2011 World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and Milwaukee Brewers in the playoffs. When García started Game 2, he became the second Mexican-born pitcher, with Fernando Valenzuela
Fernando Valenzuela
Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea is a Mexican former left-handed pitcher, most notably with the Los Angeles Dodgers.In 1981, the 20-year-old Valenzuela took Los Angeles by storm, winning his first 8 decisions and leading the Dodgers to the World Championship...
being the first in 1981, to ever start a World Series. Garcia pitched 10 innings, including seven scorless innings, and posted a 1.80 era with 10 strikeouts in the series. On October 28, 2011 the Cardinals defeated the Rangers 4-3 in the best-of-seven series after being down 3-2 to claim the franchise's 11th World Series title.
Personal life
García has two sisters, Karina and Ahimee García.He has a large family that reside in Reynosa, Mexico, McAllen, Texas
McAllen, Texas
McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. It is located at the southern tip of Texas in an area known as the Rio Grande Valley and is part of the . Its southern boundary is located about five miles from the U.S.–Mexico border and the Mexican city of Reynosa, the Rio...
and Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. Ironically, García being a left-handed pitcher, his mother Gloria is the only lefty among ten children born to Armando Rodríguez and Consuelo Flores (García's grandparents). García and his mother are also the only lefties among their immediate five member family.
García resides in McAllen, Texas in the off-season.
Awards
- All-Star Futures GameAll-Star Futures GameThe All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game between a team of top minor league prospects from the United States and a team of prospects from other parts of the World...
selection (2008) - Baseball America's All-Rookie team (2010)
- Topps All-Star Rookie PitcherTopps All-Star Rookie RostersThis is a year-by-year list of the Topps All-Star Rookie teams. Note that players selected for a particular team appear in the following year's set release...
(2010) - 1x NL Player of the Week (4/4/2011)
- World SeriesWorld SeriesThe World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
champion (20112011 World SeriesThe 2011 World Series was the 107th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff was played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion St...
)