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    Not even a cardboard glove and a roster snub could derail Robel Garcia's remarkable journey from the Dominican Republic to Italy to the Cubs

    by Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune Jul 30, 2019 7 minutes

    CHICAGO - Robel Garcia is the Cinderella story that almost didn't happen.

    If his comeback story already seems far-fetched - flamed out in the minors, latched on with the Italian national team despite being a native of the Dominican Republic, made an accidental audition for the Cubs and staged a meteoric rise to the majors - consider these two things:

    1. The Cubs scout who saw Garcia play for Team Italy in Arizona last fall almost decided against telling his bosses, thinking they might laugh at him.

    2. Garcia wasn't even supposed to be in Arizona in the first place. He nearly had been left behind in Italy.

    But more on that nearly missed connection later. First, there's the matter of the close call with the Cubs.

    "His age (25 at the time) was totally against him, so I was almost at a point where I wasn't even going to mention it," said Cubs area scout Gabe Zappin, who was checking out the Reds' instructional league game in Arizona against Team Italy on Oct. 4, 2018, when one of Italy's infielders caught his attention. "I just felt like I'm going to

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