Muchos Garcias

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/05/2019 (2657 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Their last name isn’t the only thing Willy Garcia and Kevin Garcia have in common.

The baseball players, no relation, are looking to get their careers back on track this season with the Winnipeg Goldeyes. They’re hoping for some better luck, too.

Willy Garcia is a 26-year-old outfielder who last played with the Chicago White Sox in 2017. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native got the call-up to the major leagues after putting up some impressive numbers at the White Sox’s triple-A level earlier in the year. Willy played in right field, forming an all-Garcia outfield as the White Sox had Leury Garcia in centre and Avisail Garcia in left field.”It was awesome because we felt like a family,” said the Spanish-speaking Willy through Kevin’s translation.

But it didn’t last for long. Willy suffered a freak injury in his 40th game with the team. It happened on July 31, 2017 in the seventh inning of a game against the Toronto Blue Jays when a fly ball was hit to right field. Willy sprinted towards the ball and made a sliding catch. However, Willy didn’t hang on to the ball as Chicago’s second baseman Yoan Moncada, the club’s top prospect at the time, was also sprinting towards the ball. When Willy got down and caught it, Moncada tried to jump over him, but he ended up kneeing him in the jaw. Willy was knocked out cold and suffered a broken jaw and concussion. Willy had to undergo surgery and have a metal plate inserted into his jaw.

“I really don’t remember it,” Willy said. “The only reason I remember it because I saw the video. But as soon as I got hit in the head, I completely forgot.”

Willy didn’t return until mid-September. He played four more games but struggled mightily with just one hit in his final 12 at-bats. In 44 games with the White Sox, Willy hit .238 with two home runs and 12 RBIs. But the injuries didn’t stop there, as Willy broke a wrist bone in the off-season. Chicago released him in spring training, and Willy sat out the entire 2018 season due to his injury.

“It’s unfortunate,” Willy said. “I was in Santo Domingo and that’s when I hurt my wrist. I showed up to spring training with a bad wrist. It was a matter of bad injuries and bad timing.”

In February, the Goldeyes signed Willy to a contract. He adds depth to what is an already impressive outfield that features Reggie Abercrombie, Josh Romanski and James Harris. According to the Goldeyes, Willy is the 45th former MLB player to sign with the club in franchise history.

“He’s a good player,” said Goldeyes manager Rick Forney. “He’s young. He got to the big leagues and played a lot just two years ago. He’s a high level of talent right there and you don’t see guys of that talent in our league often and we’re excited about having him.”

Kevin Garcia, 26-year-old from Calexico, Calif., also knows what it feels like to suffer a freak injury during a game. Kevin was the starting catcher for the Goldeyes last year, his first season playing independent baseball. In 40 games with the Fish, Kevin was putting up career numbers, hitting .273 with a homer and 18 RBIs. But on June 30 in a game at home against the St. Paul Saints, Kevin tore a patellar tendon in one of his legs while running to first base. He was taken off the field in a stretcher — his season was over.

“I remember hearing it pop and just hitting the ground,” Kevin said after Monday afternoon’s training session at Shaw Park, which was his first time back playing on the field since the incident. “And then I remember trying to move my leg and not being able to move it. As soon as I saw the first baseman, and saw Reggie (Abercrombie) run and Tom (Vaeth), I just burst into tears because I knew it was a major injury.”

Kevin, a 30th-round draft pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2014 MLB draft, was told he’d be unable to walk until November or December. But when Kevin left Winnipeg at the end of the summer, he was way ahead of schedule and walking with a brace. Hhe went through gruelling rehab in the off-season to get back to full health. He said he was in the gym for six to eight hours a day, five or six days a week.

“It was very, very devastating, not going to lie to you,” said Kevin, a career .254 hitter. “But I feel ready. I’m back and stronger than ever.”

Kevin said it means a lot to him that the Goldeyes brought him back for a second season so he can show he’s still the same player.

“I was actually talking to my agent and saying, ‘Hey man, it’s January and they haven’t called. What do we do?’ So, he called, and then Rick texted me saying, ‘You really think I was going to forget about you?’ They put a lot of faith in me. You feel like you’re at home,” said Kevin, who made it to the double-A level in the Minnesota Twins organization in 2017.

“To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever felt more comfortable playing baseball anywhere.”

The Garcias were all smiles during practice on Monday, clearly thrilled and appreciative to have their injuries behind them and playing again. When asked what they’d like to accomplish in their return to action this season, Willy and Kevin echoed the same sentiments.

“I’m here to play with a team and bring that championship back to where it belongs,” Willy said. “And hopefully, find another job next year and get back to the bigs.”

And Kevin?

“Like Willy said, get the championship back where it belongs. And you know, if I come back, I come back. If I get picked up, I get picked up. I’m just going to try to get out there, have fun and play as hard as I can.”

Willy and Kevin will get their first game action on Wednesday when the Fish take on the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks in an exhibition game at the dowtown ballpark at 6 p.m. The two teams will play a second exhibition game on Thursday at the same time and place.

 

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31