Édgar García (baseball, born 1996)


Édgar Ernesto García is a Dominican professional baseball relief pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. He made his major league debut in 2019.

Professional career

Early years

García was born in Sabana Grande de Palenque, Dominican Republic. He worked out as a shortstop for Phillies scouts initially in the Dominican Republic, but though his batting skills did not impress the scouts they liked his arm. He was signed as an international free agent as a pitcher by the Philadelphia Phillies on May 29, 2014, for $30,000.
He made his professional debut in 2014 with the DSL Phillies, going 2–0 with a 2.10 ERA in 25.2 innings. García played for the Gulf Coast Phillies in 2015, going 1–2 with a 3.31 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 32.2 innings.
García played for the Lakewood BlueClaws in 2016, going 4–1 with a 2.80 ERA in 61 innings. He played for the Clearwater Threshers in 2017, going 3–4 with a 4.47 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 88.2 innings.

2018–present

In 2018, García split the season between the Reading Fightin Phils and the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, he was 7–2 with a 3.64 ERA, and 72 strikeouts in 64.1 innings. He was an Eastern League Mid-season All Star, was 4th in the league in appearances with 47, and among qualifying league relief pitchers he had the 4th-best opposing batting average, at.204, and the 5th-best SO/9.0 IP rate, at 10.26. He then pitched for Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Winter League during the 2018 offseason. The Phillies added him to their 40-man roster after the 2018 season.
He opened the 2019 season back with Lehigh Valley, and before García was called up he was 1–1 with a 1.65 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 16.1 innings. On May 6, he was called to the major league roster and made his major league debut that night. In 2019 with Lehigh Valley he was 2-1 with 8 saves and a 2.48 ERA in 25 relief appearances in 29.0 innings in which he struck out 38 batters. In 2019 with the Phillies he was 2-0 with a 5.77 ERA in 37 relief appearances in which he pitched 39.0 innings and struck out 45 batters.
García is known for an excellent 87 mph slider that has hard, downward action and generates more whiffs/swing compared to other pitchers' sliders.