Robel García

Robel Estiwal García Rodriguez[1] (born March 28, 1993) is an Italian-Dominican professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Chicago Cubs in 2019.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is García and the second or maternal family name is Rodriguez.
Robel García
Free agent
Second base / Left fielder
Born: (1993-03-28) March 28, 1993
Las Matas de Farfán, Dominican Republic
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right
Professional debut
MLB: July 3, 2019, for the Chicago Cubs
KBO: July 26, 2022, for the LG Twins
MLB statistics
(through 2021 season)
Batting average.174
Home runs6
Runs batted in19
KBO statistics
(through 2022 season)
Batting average.206
Home runs4
Runs batted in19
Teams

Career

Cleveland Indians

García signed with the Cleveland Indians as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in February 2010 at 16 years old. After four seasons, he was released by the Indians on his twenty-first birthday in March 2014.[1] He had topped out in the Class A Midwest League in 2012 and 2013.[2]

After his release, he moved to Verona to be with his Dominican-Italian wife and their children. He began playing independent baseball there in 2016 and joined Redskins Imola and then Fortitudo Bologna of the Italian Baseball League in 2017.[1] In 2018, he played for UnipolSai Bologna and was a member of the Italy national baseball team that played in the 2018 Super 6 baseball tournament.[3]

Chicago Cubs

After being spotted during an exhibition series for Italy in the Arizona Instructional League, García signed a minor league deal with the Cubs in November 2018.[4] He started the 2019 season with the Tennessee Smokies before being promoted to the Iowa Cubs after 22 games.[5]

On July 3, 2019, the Cubs selected García's contract and promoted him to the major leagues.[6] He made his debut that night as a pinch hitter for Brandon Kintzler and struck out in his first at-bat.[7] On July 4, 2019, Robel tripled off Jordan Lyles for his first MLB hit. He also singled and hit a solo home run in the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cincinnati Reds

García was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds on July 26, 2020.[8] García did not play in a game for Cincinnati in 2020. After the 2020 season, he played for Águilas Cibaeñas of the Dominican Professional Baseball League. He has also played for Dominican Republic in the 2021 Caribbean Series.

New York Mets

On October 26, 2020, García was claimed off waivers by the New York Mets.[9] On February 1, 2021, García was designated for assignment following the acquisition of Jordan Yamamoto.[10]

Los Angeles Angels

On February 3, 2021, García was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Angels.[11] On February 25, 2021, García was designated for assignment by the Angels following the waiver claim of Jack Mayfield.[12]

Houston Astros

On February 27, 2021, García was claimed off waivers by the Houston Astros.[13] García played in 46 games for the Astros in 2021, struggling to a .151 batting average with 1 home runs and 8 RBI's. On September 15, 2021, the Astros designated García for assignment.[14] On September 18, he cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A Sugar Land Skeeters.[15]

Chicago Cubs (second stint)

On March 21, 2022, Garcia signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs.[16] Garcia played in 41 games for Triple-A Iowa, hitting .295 with 12 home runs and 30 RBI's. On June 4, the Cubs released Garcia to pursue a career overseas.[17]

LG Twins

On June 5, 2022, Garcia signed with the LG Twins of the KBO League.[18] He was released on October 7, 2022.

Leones de Yucatán

On May 12, 2023, García signed with the Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League.[19] In 13 games, he batted .192/.309/.255 with 9 hits and 5 RBIs. García was released on May 30, 2023.[20]

Personal life

García is a citizen of the Dominican Republic and a naturalized Italian citizen. His wife, with whom he has at least three children, is Dominican-Italian.[1]

References
  1. Thompson, Phil (July 29, 2019). "Not even a cardboard glove and a roster snub could derail Robel Garcia's remarkable journey from the Dominican Republic to Italy to the Cubs". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  2. "Robel Garcia Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  3. Rogers, Phil. "Robel Garcia Well On His Way From Team Italy to Wrigley Field". Forbes.
  4. Sharma, Sahadev. "'Who is this kid and what's he doing here?' Can Robel..." The Athletic.
  5. "'He's completely exceeding everybody's expectations': Robel Garcia's surprise rise with the Cubs". Des Moines Register.
  6. Mark Gonzales (July 3, 2019). "Theo Epstein threatens 'a ton of changes' if Cubs don't improve and then team calls up Robel Garcia". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  7. Jake Crouse (July 3, 2019). "Garcia called up to Cubs amid talk of 'changes'". MLB.com. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  8. "Reds Claim Robel Garcia". July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  9. "Mets Claim Robel Garcia, Designate Ryan Cordell". October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  10. "Mets Acquire Jordan Yamamoto". February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  11. "Angels Claim Robel Garcia". February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  12. "Angels Acquire Jack Mayfield, DFA Robel Garcia". 25 February 2021.
  13. "Astros Claim Robel Garcia". 27 February 2021.
  14. "Astros Designate Robel Garcia for Assignment". 15 September 2021.
  15. "Minor MLB Transactions: 9/18/21". 18 September 2021.
  16. Franco, Anthony (21 March 2022). "Cubs, Robel Garcia Agree To Minor League Deal". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  17. Polishuk, Mark (June 4, 2022). "Cubs Release Robel Garcia". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  18. Polishuk, Mark (June 5, 2022). "KBO's LG Twins Sign Roblel Garcia". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  19. "EL DOMINICANO ROBEL GARCÍA SE UNE A LOS CAMPEONES!". leones.mx (in Spanish). 12 May 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  20. "Robel Garcia Stats, Fantasy & News". milb.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
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