Luis Garcia

Name: Luis Jose Garcia
Born: 10/1/2000
Position: SS
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 170lbs
Bats/Throws: S/R
Options Remaining: 3
Rule 5 Eligible: 2021
MiLB Free Agency: 2024
Drafted: International Free Agent (2017-2018 Class)
From: San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic
Signed: 7/2/2017
Bonus: $2,500,000

Stats: MiLB | B-Ref | Fangraphs | Baseball America | Baseball Prospectus 

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2019 Preseason (#4)

Role: 1st Division Regular
Risk: High – Garcia is surprisingly safe for an 18 year old. He still needs to mature physically in order to have a major league impact, but his defense and contact ability give him a high floor.
Summary: The Phillies gave one of the largest bonuses in the 2017 July 2 class to Luis Garcia because of his glove work. Outside of his first week and some yips throwing the ball, he delivered in the field. He is a smooth fielder with great actions and a strong arm. His defense is advanced for his age, and he easily projects as a plus shortstop at his peak. Scouts were more divided on his bat, with some thinking he would hit for a fine empty average, and others thought he would hit just enough to stick in an everyday role at the bottom of the lineup. Garcia went out and led the GCL in hitting at age 17. He also walked at a high rate and kept his strikeouts to a minimum. He was able to post a  .418 BABIP thanks to a high line drive rate. Right now he has no power, and his ability to impact the ball is greatly reduced by his lack of strength. While he never projects to hit for a ton of power, he is going to fill out enough to hold his own. Garcia is also a plus runner who needs to work on his base stealing success. All of these pieces together make Garcia one of the most advanced teenagers the Phillies have ever had in their system and give him one of the highest upsides of any player in the org. His advanced feel for the game is likely going to lead the Phillies into promoting him beyond where his physicality is, so his numbers may struggle for a little bit. However, he should reach the majors at a young age, and a strong 2019 season could put him in the conversation as one of the best prospects in the minor leagues.
2019 Outlook: The early indication is that the Phillies are going to aggressively push Garcia to Lakewood to open the year. There is a good chance that his numbers suffer, as he will be one of the youngest players in the South Atlantic League.

2018 Midseason (#8)

The Phillies gave out their second largest international bonus ever last year to SS Luis Garcia. Garcia was billed as the best defensive shortstop in the class. He was supposed to have a good feel for contact, but not much power. After some early season yips throwing, Garcia has been as expected and more. Garcia has shown a good approach and an advanced feel for contact. Garcia is never going to be a middle of the lineup masher, but he could be a plus or better defender at short and hit near the top of a lineup. Garcia should be able to move quicker through the system than most recent international signings.

2018 Preseason (#21)

Role: Above Average Regular
Risk: Extreme – Garcia got a $2.5 million signing bonus and was ranked highly by most evaluators, but he also has only played a hurricane shortened Florida Instructional League and Dominican complex league ball since signing, so he is an eternity away.
Summary: After not making any million dollar commitments in the 2016 signing period, the Phillies waded into the 2017 signing period by giving Garcia one of the largest bonuses of the class. The selling point on Garcia is his glove. He not only looks like he should be able to stick at shortstop, but he might also actually pretty good there. He has good hands and feel for the position, and most think that his arm will be plus down the road. While this leaves few concerns about Garcia’s defensive profile, there are many questions about how good he will offensively. He has a good feel for contact, but he has yet to show much power. He is a switch hitter who is better from the left side, which should help as he adapts to pro ball. 
2018 Outlook: It was already a lock that Garcia would start stateside in the GCL in 2018, but it was further cemented when the Phillies added a second team.

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