Jarlin Garcia

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Miami Marlins #6 prospect in 2017
  Garcia grew up playing soccer and didn't play baseball until he was 15, when his friends and a coach in the Dominican Republic convinced him to try the game. He was just 5-foot-7 at the time but grew seven inches before signing with the Marlins. It took Garcia three seasons to reach full-season ball, and he missed more than two months in 2016 with a triceps strain. He returned to the field as a reliever, which he also filled in the Arizona Fall League and in winter ball in the Dominican. Garcia has some of the best pure stuff in the system, with a fastball that touches 96 mph, a curveball that can be a strikeout pitch and a slider and changeup, both of which grade presently as fringe-average offerings. The lithe lefthander is athletic, with a clean delivery that helps give him above-average control. He has averaged just 2.2 walks per nine innings as a pro. Because he doesn't have a consistent swing-and-miss secondary pitch, he will have to improve his fastball command or sharpen his curveball to remain a starter. Garcia received a brief callup to the majors in July 2016--he was not used in his four-day stay--but he could see Marlins Park again in 2017 if he stays healthy. He has a No. 4 starter ceiling but may wind up in the bullpen.
• 
  Ranked Miami Marlins #3 prospect in 2016
  Garcia signed as a 17-year-old and needed three seasons to reach full-season ball in 2014. Following that season, the Marlins left him unprotected in the Rule 5 draft, but he went unclaimed. He made the high Class A Florida State League all-star team at midseason 2015 and took the loss at the Futures Game before finishing the season at Double-A Jacksonville. The athletic Garcia has above-average control to go with a fastball that touches 95 mph and sits in the low 90s. The powerful threequarters curveball that he struggled to command in 2014 at low Class A Greensboro improved in 2015, and he showed better command of it. His slinging delivery sometimes makes it tough for him to stay on top of his curve, but it will flash as a tick-above-average offering a few times each outing. Garcia also developed feel for his low-80s changeup, which became an above-average offering and is a bat-missing weapon thanks to excellent late fade. With his clean arm action, delivery and stuff, Garcia is the best pitching prospect the Marlins have above the Class A level. He will begin 2016 at Jacksonville and profiles as a No. 4 starter, with a flyball profile that should play in spacious Marlins Park.
• 
  Ranked Miami Marlins #10 prospect in 2015
  Garcia signed as a 17-year-old and it took him three seasons to reach full-season ball. In the interim, he grew physically and developed one of the organization's better curveballs. He led the low Class A South Atlantic League in lowest walk rate (1.35/9 IP) while leading Greensboro in victories, and he didn't give up an earned run in his final four starts, spanning 18 innings. Athletic and live-bodied, Garcia shows excellent control of a live, above-average fastball in the 90-95 mph range. His curveball still flashes above-average as well in the upper 70s, but somewhere between instructional league and the 2014 season, he lost the feel for it. His slinging delivery sometimes makes it tough for him to stay on top of the pitch. To avoid going through a full season without a breaking ball, Garcia started throwing a hard slider, and he has a changeup with some fade that is firm in the low 80s. Despite his athleticism, he needs polish defensively, both fielding and holding runners. Garcia's strong finish restored optimism to what had been a season of struggles. He wasn't protected on the 40-man roster but he wasn't picked in the Rule 5 draft, so the Marlins can send him to high Class A Jupiter. A consistent breaking ball would give him a mid-rotation ceiling.
• 
  Ranked Miami Marlins #28 prospect in 2014
  Though he averaged less than five innings a start in 2013, he ranked fifth in the short-season New York-Penn League with 74 strikeouts. Garcia's arm works easy and he shows an above-average fastball that runs up to 93 mph. He also throws a plus curve, which he can get too reliant on. He's still learning how to use his changeup, which has a chance to be an above-average pitch. Garcia has the stuff to challenge hitters, but he didn't always do so. Though he doesn't issue many free passes, Garcia's command can be inconsistent. Despite his inexperience, he has shown some maturity. Garcia has a nice pitcher's build with room to fill out yet. He will vie for a job in the low Class A Greensboro rotation in 2014.

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Garcia grew up playing soccer and didn't play baseball until he was 15, when his friends and a coach in the Dominican Republic convinced him to try the game. He was just 5-foot-7 at the time but grew seven inches before signing with the Marlins. It took Garcia three seasons to reach full-season ball, and he missed more than two months in 2016 with a triceps strain. He returned to the field as a reliever, which he also filled in the Arizona Fall League and in winter ball in the Dominican. Scouting Report: Garcia has some of the best pure stuff in the system, with a fastball that touches 96 mph, a curveball that can be a strikeout pitch and a slider and changeup, both of which grade presently as fringe-average offerings. The lithe lefthander is athletic, with a clean delivery that helps give him above-average control. He has averaged just 2.2 walks per nine innings as a pro. Because he doesn't have a consistent swing-and-miss secondary pitch, he will have to improve his fastball command or sharpen his curveball to remain a starter.
  
  The Future: Garcia received a brief callup to the majors in July 2016--he was not used in his four-day stay--but he could see Marlins Park again in 2017 if he stays healthy. He has a No. 4 starter ceiling but may wind up in the bullpen.