Yankees: How soon will we see Deivi Garcia in the majors?

The Yankees coveted pitching prospect, 20-year-old Deivi Garcia, a strikeout artist in the minors, may be promoted to the majors sooner than anyone could have expected.

With the trade deadline a week away, the hunt for pitching is on again for the New York Yankees. However, is it possible that the impact arm they are looking for is already in their farm system?

It’s doubtful, but there’s a chance the Yanks could use their surging pitching prospect, Deivi Garcia, in 2019. Remember how the Tampa Bay Rays used the then 22-year-old David Price in their 2008 playoff push?

In my opinion, Garcia is too good of a pitcher not to consider promoting to the majors at a time where every playoff contender is searching for an impact pitcher. Through 76.2 minor league innings pitched, he’s struck out 124 batters.

His tremendous performance has earned him multiple promotions in 2019 from Single-A to Double-A and now Triple-A ball. The next stop for Garcia would be the bigs. However, he’ll need more seasoning at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre because as of now, he has just two short starts under his belt.

In a recent ESPN interview, Garcia shared his thoughts on a speculative promotion to the bigs.

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"“I know the next level is the major leagues, but I’m still trying to work hard and don’t get [over] confident, and still work and stick to my routines,” Garcia said. “If I reach that level this year, I will still have a lot of the same stuff going on: I have to stick to my plan every time I go out and just do what I can to help the team win.”"

To truly understand who Deivi Garcia is, you need to know how he is connected to one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. Like Garcia’s peers from his home in the Dominican Republic, pro scouts compare him to Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez.

Is it because of his 5-foot-9, 170-pound frame? Is it because of his frequent use of his curveball? Or is it because he has a very bullish approach on the mound, similar to a young Martinez did two decades ago?

All of these factors are reasons why people see a little Pedro in Garcia. In fact, in the same ESPN interview, Garcia said when he was 13 and 14 years old, people from the Dominican Republic would often call him “Little Pedro.”

He idolized the Dominican pitching icon, and at the age of 16, signed with the Yankees three weeks before Martinez’s acceptance speech into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Whether it’s in 2019 or within the next couple of years, Garcia will make it to the bigs. The question with the trade deadline approaching is, will Garcia remain in the Yankees system?

Reports indicate that he could be used as a trade chip for the Yanks to acquire a seasoned pitching veteran.

"Per a report by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, it remains possible for the Yankees to deal Garcia away in a trade for a controllable starting pitcher to shore up their rotation. That is to say, the only way New York would part with Garcia in the next eight days is if they received in return a veteran pitcher who was not scheduled to hit free agency next offseason."

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Perhaps instead of trading him away, the Yankees could acquire a veteran pitcher while calling up Garcia for the fall stretch? I wouldn’t mind it if he continues to find success in August, and neither should the Yankees or their fans.

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