Big-League Aspirations Bring Garcia Back To Bradenton

Although Carlos Garcia has already been there, his aspirations are similar to those of the young players he will mentor this season with the Florida State League’s Bradenton Marauders.

Garcia’s baseball journey first began in the backyard of his family’s home in Venezuela. It was there that Garcia and his brothers kept themselves entertained by playing bottle cap baseball and throwing around any piece of cowhide that came into their possession.

Eventually, Garcia blossomed into a 19-year-old prospect. His first indoctrination to pro baseball came in the spring of 1987 at Bradenton’s .

From there, Garcia began his climb through the ranks of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ minor-league system. Like any aspiring major leaguer, Garcia had his triumphs and his difficulties.

Garcia made his debut with the Pirates on Sept. 20, 1990, but he didn’t receive the opportunity to become an everyday member of the 25-man roster until the beginning of 1993 season. An All-Star second baseman for the National League in 1994, Garcia played two more seasons in Pittsburgh before spending the 1997 season with the Toronto Blue Jays and parts of the next two seasons with the then-Anaheim Angels and the San Diego Padres.

After playing for the New York Yankees’ former Triple-A affiliate in Columbus, Ohio, in 2000 and 2001, Garcia was a minor-league coach for the Cleveland Indians from 2002-04 and served as a member of Seattle Mariners’ coaching staff under former manager Mike Hargrove from 2005-07.

For the past three seasons, Garcia has worked in some capacity for the organization that originally signed him. He coached Pittsburgh’s minor-league infield prospects for two seasons before taking a job as former Pirates manager John Russell’s infield coach/first base coach at the end of the 2009 season.

“It’s not my job, it’s my passion,” Garcia said. “I don’t see this game as a job. I see this game as a way to be able to give back to an organization that has helped give me everything in my career.”

Having either played or coached in virtually every ballpark in the South Atlantic League, Eastern League, International League, Pacific Coast League, American League and National League, Garcia has now been afforded the opportunity to manage by the Pirates. His first game with the Marauders will come on Thursday night when Bradenton travels to the South Division rival Charlotte Stone Crabs, who are the Tampa Bay Rays' Class-A Advanced affiliate.

Garcia has become familiar with the minor-league prospects that will make up this year’s Marauders squad over the past month, but he won’t officially know who will comprise his roster until noon Tuesday. No matter who plays for Bradenton this season, Garcia wants each and every player to know that he and his staff, which includes hitting coach Ryan Long and pitching coach Mike Steele, are there to help them progress through the system.

“I don’t want to talk about myself too much, but I want to let them know what they need to know and what they need to know to be able to walk that path,” Garcia said. “Integrity, respect for teammates, respect for the game are things that I will stress to them. It’s about their work ethic, going about their business the right way and doing the best when the best is needed.”

Garcia feels that his managerial style will be a mix of all the managers he has been associated with or known personally, a list that includes Jim Leyland, Cito Gaston, Bruce Bochy and current New York Mets manager Terry Collins. 

Each of Garcia’s managers had their own temperament and approaches to the game, but they all demonstrated passion for the game and compassion for their players.

Managing the Marauders is the first step toward Garcia’s goal of someday managing in the major leagues.

“I don’t think it’s different for a coach or a player,” Garcia said. “I think when you go in this direction, you have to dream big. If you don’t dream big, there is something wrong with you. When I took this opportunity, I saw myself as a big-league manager in a few years. Of course, you have to learn some things along the way and take a little bit of everything you‘ve learned with you as you go up. As a player, I felt the same way.”