The Many Lives of Freddy García
By César Augusto Márquez
Last seen in the major leagues in 2013, Freddy García descended into baseball purgatory, scuffling along for a couple of seasons in the minors, Mexico and the Venezuelan winter league. Who comes back to the Big Show after retiring — twice?
After a year off, García has become one of the more heartwarming stories of the winter season, pitching, at age 41, as if he had never lost his fastball. He is Venezuela’s answer to Big Sexy, another rotund righty with impeccable control, sporting a 4-0 record and 2.33 ERA in eight starts and 11 games overall for the Tigres (Tigers) de Aragua.
More astounding is his 11.0 K/BB — 33 strikeouts to three walks over 46.1 innings. As the Venezuelan season heads toward the playoffs this week, García is a favorite for Comeback Player of the Year.
“My primary motivation to return was that I still wanted to play baseball,” García said in Spanish in a recent telephone interview with La Vida Baseball. “I’m crazy about baseball, and that made me put on the uniform again.”
Venezuelan pitching royalty
García’s passion for the game made him a reliable starter during much of his 15 major league seasons. He is one of the best to come out of Venezuela.
Until 2017, when “King” Félix Hernández surpassed him, García was his country’s all-time winningest pitcher with a 156-108 record and 4.15 ERA.
In 2001, at the height of the Steroid Era — when Barry Bonds hit his record 73 home runs — García finished 18-6 with the Seattle Mariners and led the American League with a 3.05 ERA and 238.2 innings. He also earned the first of two All-Star selections and finished third in the vote for the Cy Young Award.
And when the Chicago White Sox won the World Series under the direction of fellow Venezuelan Oswaldo “Ozzie” Guillén in 2005, García threw seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts in the one game he started in the Fall Classic — the night in which the White Sox clinched the championship.
However, despite this winter’s scintillating comeback, García is hesitant to imitate Bartolo Colón and keep pitching in the major leagues into middle age.
“I’m not sure,” García said. “I came back here because I was in shape and capable of pitching. I had a year to rest, which allowed me to get ready for this season.”
García pitched again last night in the playoffs, but each game now could be his last. While he’s unclear about the next chapter of his life, García is sure of one thing — he doesn’t want to stay home.
“I’ll have to do something,” he said. “I’m not discarding anything right now, but I’m not sure I want to be a coach. It’s hard work.”
García was a godsend to the Tigres, filling a void created by Venezuela’s economic and political crisis. Last year, Aragua’s lineup featured two genuine big leaguers — the Houston Astros’ Marwin González and the White Sox’s Avisaíl García. But this winter, the league had problems drawing players from the majors and high minors.
“We knew how good Freddy used to be and that’s why we decided to give him a chance,” Tigres general manager Jorge Urribarrí said in Spanish in an interview with La Vida Baseball. “We knew if he said that he was ready to pitch, that it would be true, and now we’re seeing the results. We would love it if he pitched one more season.”
Persistence pays off
García was born in Caracas and raised in El Guire, a poor neighborhood east of the city near the Valle Arriba Golf Club, were many of the country’s young golfers go to learn the game. García started out working as a caddy and is now an avid golfer.
“I’ve persisted throughout my whole career,” García said. “In tough times, I’ve always tried to get ahead. And I’ve always accomplished my goals.”
García’s determination helped him overcome labrum and rotator cuff injuries that required surgery and limited him to 23 total games from 2007-09. He lost his fastball — and his mojo.
“A starter must make adjustments over the course of his career,” García said. “I’m glad that I’m a family man, because my family’s support was very important in my comeback back then. I’m still active, thanks to my family.”
According to FanGraphs.com, back in 2010, when García was 33 and in his second stint with the White Sox, his fastball had been slowly but steadily dropping, averaging 87.8 mph. The decreased velocity forced him to depend more on his slider (26.5 percent) and his changeup (22.8 percent) and become a control pitcher.
He remade himself successfully, going 12-6 with a 4.64 ERA that season and 12-8 with a 3.62 ERA the following season with the New York Yankees.
“Experience always counts,” García said. “You learn how to pace yourself and that’s what’s helped me up to now.”
Enjoying the moment
While García is one of Venezuela’s major league legends, until this year he had little individual success in the winter league. His one shining moment was helping the Tigres win the title in 2015-16.
“That was wonderful, winning a championship,” García said. “And that’s what I want to do now, win again and celebrate with the fans.”
García sounds like a guy who knows his limits. He’s simply hoping for a storybook ending.
Featured Image: Ron Vesely / Getty Images Sport
Inset Image: Prensa Tigres de Aragua