By Kary Booher
A decade ago, after an obscure 31-year-old named Amaury Marti fled Cuba and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, a baseball scout known as the “Shark of the Caribbean” couldn’t help but beam.
While the player in question was never a prospect (and never made it), the thought of the next wave of players from Fidel Castro’s communist island nation where Baseball Is King elicited excitement from scout Fred Ferreira, who saw 60 of his international discoveries reach the big leagues—including big names such as late 1990s stars Vladimir Guerrero and Bernie Williams.
“You’ve got to have patience,” Ferreria told this reporter in 2006.
That wave has certainly reached the shores of the United States, with many making significant impacts.
Among the latest Cubans to arrive is Adolis Garcia, now with the Springfield Cardinals. Earlier this year, St. Louis signed the outfielder for a $2.4 million bonus, securing the rights to a 24-year-old whose arm strength, speed and 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame turn heads. In fact, Springfield manager Johnny Rodriguez hasn’t been afraid to go along with the hype, saying, “This guy’s a five-tool player.” But even then, Rodriquez urges patience.
With the Cardinals opening a home stand tonight at Hammons Field, Garcia’s been both a highlight reel and a reminder that, despite having played for the Cuban National Team, he’s still a work in progress. Fortunately, Garcia is fitting right in with his Springfield teammates (a number of them speak Spanish) and is inspired, too, by a current Atlanta Braves player—his brother, Adonis.
“I’m still getting adapted to everything, but I feel good. I’m thankful for the guys who have made me feel welcome,” Garcia said through an interpreter, outfielder Oscar Mercado. “When I first got here, (fellow Cuban) Aledmys Diaz helped me out a lot in spring training, just knowing each other, and he showed me the ropes and kept me comfortable.”
Cubans have made a great impact over the past decade. In the big leagues, 2017 Opening Day rosters featured 23 Cuban-born players.
In fact, over the past decade, the game has seen numerous Cubans become stars or regulars—such as fearsome left-handed closer Aroldis Chapman, Mets slugger Yeonis Cespedes, Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias and the Cardinals’ Diaz—while Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook this spring splashed the White Sox’ Yoan Moncado, a 22-year-old infielder, on its cover.
Garcia’s journey
For Garcia and many Latin American players who came from humble beginnings in order to chase their dreams, the challenges are enormous. For one, there’s the language barrier. Also, especially for Cubans, seeing family again is never assured. It’s one of the added mental challenges not faced by others.
“I’ve talked to a lot of the guys, and they’ve kept me sane,” Garcia said. “They’ve made me feel like a part of the team from the get-go.”
Back home, baseball kept his family afloat as he played in Cuba’s top league, Serie Nacional, beginning when he was 17. His parents have long been involved in sports, with his dad directing a baseball complex.
“My dad and my brother have always been dedicated and showed that hard work has always paid off,” Garcia said. “I have been playing since I was 7 years old. I was never the best player on the field. But when I turned 17, I became aware of what I could do in the sport. I started working with a plan and started pursuing it.”
When his brother reached the big leagues in 2015, Garcia realized that his dreams could become a reality, too.
More than any other Cuban—even Chapman after his success as a closer who helped the Chicago Cubs to the 2017 World Series—Garcia’s 32-year-old brother has been his biggest inspiration.
“That gave me a lot of hope,” Garcia said. “We talk a lot about everything–hard work, discipline, life. He tells me to be very disciplined. That’s the most important thing. That’s for your personal life. Everything.”
Garcia is doing his part to fit in, too, by taking English classes every day of the week. Still, family is far away back home.
“Over time I’ve learned to keep my mind sane and hearing advice from other people has helped,” Garcia said. “I listen to what other pros have to say.”
His time in Springfield
So far, Garcia has impressed. A year ago, he played in Japan but didn’t hit well. Still, Baseball America noted that he had 60 speed on the 20-80 scouting scale and a plus-plus arm, ranking him No. 20 among Cuba’s Top 20 prospects in 2015.
So far in Springfield, Garcia has shown flashes of what he could be. Defensively, he has seven assists already.
In April, he hit .303 with a .515 slugging percentage, but those numbers sagged in May. Still, his 24 RBI are tied for the team lead with Bruce Caldwell, with 15 coming this month alone. (Yet he also has struck out 39 times in 156 at-bats.)
“He’s learning to play the game. He’s very raw,” said Rodriguez, Springfield’s manager. “He’s learning to understand that not everybody is going to just throw you a fastball and cutter. They are going to change speeds on you, work you inside and work you up the ladder. They’ll throw change-ups. So he’s going to have to come up with a plan.” But … “He’s got plenty of pop,” Rodriguez said. “He’s not a big kid. But he’s got very strong wrists. Now, he has to clean up his set-up. But the one thing he does is he tracks breaking balls well. He’s not panicking on the break. The more he sees it, he works the barrel really well to the ball. I’m impressed with that.”
His best defensive routes are in center field, but his routes are too shallow, Rodriguez said.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that he has tools to play in the big leagues,” Rodriguez said. “He could either be a center fielder or left fielder, and he has the arm to play in right. Five tools – he can run, he can throw. He threw out a guy at the plate (in early May) on a line.”
Overall, there’s a lot to like. Fortunately, the Cardinals are in no need to rush Garcia.
“This kid, he listens,” Rodriguez said. “You can see he tries to make the adjustments. So far, it’s all As across the board.”
