CINCINNATI REDS TOP 10 PROSPECTS
1. JOSE GARCIA, SS
AGE: 23. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-2. WT: 175. SIGNED: Cuba, 2017. SIGNED BY: Chris Buckley/Tony Arias/Miguel Machado/Jim Stockel/Bob Engle/Hector Otero.
TRACK RECORD: The Reds have a long history of signing Cuban prospects and have gotten strong payoffs for their proclivity, most notably Aroldis Chapman and Raisel Iglesias. Garcia became the latest Cuban to join the Reds when he signed for $5 million as part of their 2016-17 international signing class. Garcia was slowed by a shoulder injury in 2018 but broke out to lead the high Class A Florida State League with 46 extrabase hits in 2019. He hit four home runs in 13 games in spring training with the Reds in 2020, which helped convince the club to fast track him to the majors once baseball resumed after the coronavirus shutdown. The Reds called Garcia up in late August despite the fact he had never played above high Class A and immediately made him their everyday shortstop. He struggled with the aggressive jump and hit .194 before eventually turning the starting job back over to Freddy Galvis, but the Reds still used him as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner.
SCOUTING REPORT: Jumping to the majors proved to be too much, too soon for Garcia, but he’s not a finished product as a hitter. He has good hand-eye coordination, solid bat control in the strike zone and more power than most middle infielders. As bad as his debut was, Garcia has the potential to
be an average hitter with average or even a tick above-average power one day. His swing
