Pedro Modesto García (born April 17, 1950) is a Puerto Rican former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

second baseman. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

Career

Milwaukee Brewers (1973-1976)

Garcia signed as an amateur free agent with the Seattle Pilots in 1969, but did not appear with the franchise before it became the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970. With the departure of Ron Theobald, Garcia was named the Brewers' starting second baseman for the 1973 season, and made his Major League debut on April 6, going hitless in three at-bats against

Dave McNally David Arthur McNally (October 31, 1942 – December 1, 2002) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1962 through 1975, most notably as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dy ...

in a 10-0 loss to the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

. Garcia earned his first career hit the next day, a home run against the Orioles'

Mike Cuellar Miguel Ángel Cuellar Santana (; May 8, 1937 – April 2, 2010) was a Cuban professional baseball player. He played for 15 seasons in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher in 1959 and from 1964 through 1977, most prominently as a memb ...

in an extra inning 8-7 loss. As a rookie, Garcia hit .245 with 15 HR and 54 RBI in 160 games, as well as leading the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

with 32 doubles, as he finished second in

American League Rookie of the Year In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...

voting to

Al Bumbry Alonza Benjamin Bumbry (born Alonza Benjamin Bumbrey; April 21, 1947) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder who played for the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres from 1972 through 1985. Bumbry was the 1973 American League Rookie o ...

of the

. Garcia also led all AL second basemen with 27 errors. In 1974, Garcia batted .199 with 12 HR and 54 RBI in 147 games. In 1975, Garcia lost playing time to Kurt Bevacqua and Bob Sheldon, appearing in only 98 games, hitting .225 with 6 HR and 38 RBI, although he tied

Robin Yount Robin R. Yount (; born September 16, 1955), nicknamed "the Kid", and "Rockin' Robin", is an American former professional baseball player. He spent his entire 20-year career in Major League Baseball as a shortstop and center fielder for the Milwau ...

for the team high in stolen bases with 12. Garcia also led the American League with a .985 fielding percentage at second base. Garcia began the 1976 season with the Brewers, where in 41 games, he hit .217 with one home run and 9 RBI. On June 10, the Brewers traded Garcia to the Detroit Tigers for

Gary Sutherland Gary Lynn Sutherland (born September 27, 1944), nicknamed "Sudsy", is an American former professional baseball middle infielder. He played college baseball at the University of Southern California and later played 13 seasons in Major League Baseb ...

Detroit Tigers (1976)

Garcia finished the 1976 season with the Detroit Tigers, as he played in 77 games, hitting only .198 with 3 HR and 20 RBI. Garcia also committed a combined 22 errors with the Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers in 1976 to finish with the second highest total among second basemen. On December 16, the Tigers released Garcia.

Toronto Blue Jays (1977)

Garcia signed as a free agent with the expansion

on January 3, 1977, and was their opening day second baseman on April 7. Garcia had three hits in the Blue Jays' opening day victory over the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

, and was able to parlay this strong start into a gig as the Blue Jays' regular second baseman through April, and again from May 9 through 25. However he struggled at both the plate and in the field, and after May 25 was reduced to very occasional pinch-running and DH appearances. He was released on June 27, becoming the first opening day Blue Jay to end his major league career. In 41 games, he hit .208 with no home runs and 9 RBI.

Later career

After his time with Toronto, Garcia signed with the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

on July 5, 1977, but he spent the rest of the 1977 and 1978 seasons with their AAA affiliate, the

Hawaii Islanders The Hawaii Islanders were a minor league baseball team based in Honolulu, Hawaii, that played in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League for 27 seasons from 1961 through 1987. Originally an affiliate of the Kansas City Athletics, the Islanders played ...

. Garcia played with the

Poza Rica Petroleros Poza or Pozas may refer to: Geography * Poza Rica, city in Veracruz, Mexico ** C.D. Poza Rica, football team in Poza Rica * Poza de la Sal, town in Castille and León, Spain * Poza de la Vega, municipality in Castille and León, Spain * Pozas, ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

in 1979, as well as the

Mexico City Diablos Rojos Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

in 1982.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Pedro 1950 births Living people Billings Mustangs players Clinton Pilots players Danville Warriors players Detroit Tigers players Diablos Rojos del México players Evansville Triplets players Hawaii Islanders players Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Major League Baseball second basemen Milwaukee Brewers players Newark Co-Pilots players People from Guayama, Puerto Rico Petroleros de Poza Rica players Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Canada Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Mexico Toronto Blue Jays players