Deivi Garcia looked like a promising youngster in the Yankees pitching staff just a few years ago, pitching crucial games in 2020, including a controversial opening appearance in game two of the 2020 ALDS.
After a promising debut, Garcia battled injuries and control issues, and was pitching to a 6.07 ERA at Triple-A this year before he was designated for assignment earlier this week.
Former Yankees catcher Erik Kratz, who was a close friend of Garcia’s when the two were in the organization together, says the Yanks stunted his growth and mishandled his career.
“I caught his debut in the big leagues in 2020,” Kratz said on the Foul Territory podcast. “They didn’t want to trade him because they felt there was so much upside to him, and now he’s DFA’d.
“Watching him pitch recently, just this year, they did him wrong in the organization, in the sense of the coaches they had to coach him through being a 20-year-old in the big leagues.”
Many fans were critical of the move when Garcia was let go, pointing to it as another example of the Yanks failing to develop a once promising pitcher. Kratz seemed to be in that crowd as well.
“It’s a prime example. A guy they could have traded for whatever the Yankees needed. It would have been a big piece coming off the years he had in the minor leagues,” Kratz said. “Didn’t do it. Now, anybody can have him.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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