Dare I Get Excited About Christian Garcia?

The Yankees drafted Christian Garcia in 2004 and by the end of that summer the third round pick was already making a name for himself thanks to a mid-90’s fastball and the makings of a nasty curveball. He started out quickly out of the gate, his stuff was raw, but he showed a lot of promise. In 2004 he was able to harness it while putting up a 2.84 ERA and 47 strikeouts in just 38 innings. In his next season things didn’t go quite as well, he had just a 3.94 ERA although he did manage 110 strikeouts in 112 innings, but at the time it was about becoming a more polished product and not so much about the numbers. By 2005 he was a bright spot in an otherwise shallow farm system. The problems started in 2006. That year injuries held Garcia to just 53 innings and it cost him the entire 2007 season. He managed to pitch in 2008, but he still dealt with lingering injuries and only managed 62.1 innings. Last season looked like Garcia might actually get a chance to pitch as he wa...