Chicago Cubs: Reivaj Garcia is flying under the radar in the organization

Chicago Cubs: Right side, left side, strong side

One significant advantage to Garcia’s game and his overall ability is that he is a switch-hitter, which could play very well into his future. Garcia is listed as a second baseman, having played solely there during his time in Arizona. Word is Garcia can play shortstop; however, concerns regarding his arm strength make it seem that the four spot on the diamond is where his future lies.

When you watch Garcia, he gives off the notion of a veteran hitter, and you couldn’t tell it is, in fact, a 17-year-old kid. As someone who is not very big, standing at 5’11” and 175 pounds, the short compact swing Garcia displays is smooth and quick and transitions well to line drives off the bat. He knows how to make solid contact, which is an important skill and one which takes time to teach.

Concerning his defense, as previously noted Garcia spent his entire time at second base, playing 332 innings there while making six errors. The concern of his arm strength is real, but it is encouraging to see a relatively impressive start for Garcia in the field after one season. Time will tell whether he does transition around as more of a utility infielder, which doesn’t seem likely.

Garcia does also display a quickness out of the box, especially from the left side. When going opposite field, his swing tends to carry him towards first base, which is very much like Ichiro and his finish. In swiping seven bags in 40 games, that would put him on pace to be a 20-bag per year player, which would be great for Chicago.