Victor Garcia

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #28 prospect in 2018
  Garcia put on power shows as a teenager in Venezuela that scouts talked about for weeks, and the Cardinals scouted him heavily before signing him for $1.5 million. A pair of hamstring injuries ruined his first pro season in 2017. He pulled one hamstring during extended spring training, then pulled the other in a Dominican Summer League game. He played just 28 games as a result. Garcia is massive at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds and packs huge raw power he can tap into to all fields. He complements that pop with enough plate discipline and natural hitting ability to get to it, enough evaluators dream on him as a middle-of-the-order masher. Garcia hit only one homer in his pro debut because he was cautious with his lower half due to his hamstring injuries, which bear watching. Garcia is deceptively athletic but will have to work hard to keep his body in check. He has a feel for playing corner outfield but may head to first base if he gets bigger. Garcia will get a do-over in Rookie ball in 2018 and try to show what he can do when healthy.
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  Ranked St. Louis Cardinals #22 prospect in 2017
  Eight months before bidding could truly begin, Garcia was a one-man jubilee at Major League Baseball's national showcase in Venezuela. That show of force had scouts convinced he had the most raw power of his class, and BA ranked him 10th in the 2016 international class. The Cardinals had favorable evaluations before Garcia's power went public and signed him to a $1.5 million bonus. Garcia has the bat and body type built for power. He can hit with it to all fields and gets good carry on his hits without the need of loft. True to his age, he needs more time in the box to develop pitch recognition and better offspeed understanding so that his power translates more consistently into games. When he connects against live pitching, it's loud, and that has the Cardinals believing he has a tool that cannot be taught but will benefit from an approach that can be. Garcia hasn't show much arm strength and has limited range. He'll start as a corner outfielder, but the possibility of adding on strength and weight as he grows could lead him to first base. His position is hitter. As he moves toward the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, how he bats is more essential than where he plays.