JACKSONVILLE (www.sportsdayjax.com) – Former Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp reliever Robert Garcia made his MLB debut Friday for the Miami Marlins against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Garcia is the 973rd player to don both a Jacksonville uniform and play in the major leagues, including the 135th former Jumbo Shrimp.
The history of Minor League Baseball in Jacksonville dates back to 1904.
Garcia entered the game in the bottom of the seventh inning, replacing right-hander Sandy Alcantara. He pitched 0.1 innings, allowing zero runs, one hit, and a walk for the Marlins.
Garcia was a 15th-round pick by the Royals in the 2017 MLB June Amateur Draft out of the University of California, Davis. Starting with the AZL Royals in 2017, he then played for the Idaho Falls Chukars of the Pioneer League. In 2018, he worked to a 1.94 ERA in 23 games between Rookie-level Idaho Falls and Low-A Lexington. He made the jump to High-A with the Wilmington Blue Rocks in 2019.
Following the pandemic, Garcia totaled 33 games in Double-A with Northwest Arkansas. He was selected by the Marlins in that winter’s minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft, and after pitching in two games with Double-A Pensacola, Garcia went 1-5 with a 4.06 ERA in 44 games with Jacksonville in 2022. He yielded just 49 hits in 57.2 innings and struck out 30. This season, he returned to the Jumbo Shrimp, registering a 2-0 record and 2.95 ERA in 27 games. Over 36.2 innings, he fanned 54 against ony 21 walks and 30 hits allowed.
Garcia is the sixth Jumbo Shrimp alumnus this season to make his major league debut, following right-handers Jeff Lindgren (April 3, Marlins), and George Soriano (Aprl 16, Marlins), infielder/outfielder Xavier Edwards (May 2, Marlins), infielder Jacob Amaya (June 18, Marlins) and infielder/outfielder Dane Myers (July 4, Marlins). Fifteen former Jumbo Shrimp debuted in the majors during the 2022 campaign.