Leo García (born November 6, 1962) is a Dominican-born former Major League Baseball player who played outfield for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

in 1987 and 1988.

Career

Garcia was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Chicago White Sox on January 26, 1980. He made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast White Sox in 1980 and played with the Class-A Appleton Foxes of the Midwest League in 1981 and 1982. On September 7, 1982 he was traded to the

(along with

Wade Rowdon Wade Lee Rowdon (born September 7, 1960 in Riverhead, New York) is a retired Major League Baseball player who played from to with the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs and the Baltimore Orioles. Rowdon attended Stetson University, where he was na ...

) as a player to be named later in the deal that had previously sent Jim Kern to the White Sox. He spent 1983 with the AA

Waterbury Reds Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 202 ...

in the Eastern League, where he hit .257 in 131 games. He was promoted to AAA in 1984 and assigned to the Wichita Aeros of the American Association. He hit .283 in 117 games. The Reds switched their AAA team to the Denver Zephyrs in 1985 and to the

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

in 1987 and Garcia played with all of them. He made his Major League debut on April 6, 1987 and had a sacrifice fly as a pinch hitter. His first hit was a single to center field off of

Ed Whitson Eddie Lee Whitson (born May 19, 1955) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He batted and threw right-handed. Pittsburgh Pirates Whitson was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the sixth round of the 1974 Major League Baseball draft out o ...

of the San Diego Padres on April 12, also as a pinch hitter. He appeared in 31 games that season and another 23 the following year, most as either a pinch hitter or late inning defensive replacement. He hit .172 in 58 at bats. His only career home run was off

Joe Boever Joseph Martin Boever (born October 4, 1960) is an American former professional baseball right-handed relief pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to for the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Ho ...

of the Atlanta Braves on September 15, 1987. Garcia signed a minor league contract with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

in 1989 and hit .215 in 100 games for the AAA Toledo Mud Hens. He then returned to the Reds and Nashville for 1991 and 1992. Leo Garcia played for the Omaha Royals in 1992 before being released and going to play in Taiwan. After not playing at all in 1993 and 1994 he played in 25 games in 1995 for the

Yonkers Hoot Owls The Yonkers Hoot Owls were a minor league baseball team based in Yonkers, New York, playing in the independent Northeast League (later known as the Can-Am League). The team existed just one season in 1995 and played its home games at Fleming Fie ...

of the independent Northeast League. He attempted another comeback in 1999 and played for the Somerset Patriots of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

and the

Oaxaca Guerreros The Guerreros de Oaxaca (English: Oaxaca Warriors) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico. Their home field is Estadio Eduardo Vasconcelos. History In October 1995, a group of businessmen, ...

of the Mexican League. He became a minor league hitting coach in 2006 for the Arizona League Giants. From 2009-2012 he was with the

Arizona League Dodgers The Arizona Complex League Dodgers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Camelback Ranch in Phoenix, Arizona. The team is compos ...

and from 2013-2014 he was the hitting coach for the Rookie-Class Ogden Raptors. In 2015, he was promoted to the Double-A

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

as an assistant coach, a position he held through the 2018 season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Leo 1962 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players Appleton Foxes players Cincinnati Reds players Denver Zephyrs players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Gulf Coast White Sox players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Minor league baseball coaches Nashville Sounds players Omaha Royals players Baseball players from Santiago de los Caballeros Somerset Patriots players Toledo Mud Hens players Waterbury Reds players Wichita Aeros players Yonkers Hoot Owls players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Mercuries Tigers players