Mariners quietly snuck a Driveline standout into their pitching program

The Mariners have a deserved reputation for positive reclamation projects with pitchers who've lost their way or never quite been able to harness their talent more effectively, with Paul Sewald being the prime example. Nick Garcia is hoping to be added to the list of success stories after signing a minor league deal with them in late February, as confirmed on the transaction log of his MLB.com page.

How productive Garcia will be for the Mariners is something which remains to be seen. However, his potential is alluded to by the Pirates previously thinking enough to select him in the third round of the 2020 draft out of Chapman University after recording a 1.95 ERA and 0.831 in two seasons. He also pitched for the Rockies and Giants organizations prior to joining the M's.

As per Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs, the righty was sitting between 90-92 mph with a good changeup while pitching for the Rockies' Double-A affiliate during the 2023 season, following his trade from Pittsburgh. Interestingly, this would be the last year he was used as a starter in any capacity, as he finished the campaign with an ugly looking 7.73 ERA and 1.664 WHIP.

Nick Garcia shows some moxy during the 2024 minor league season

Garcia seemed to turn a corner the following year after joining the Giants organization, at least to an extent. He was tremendous over 35.0 combined innings in Double-A Richmond as he produced a 1.54 ERA, 40 strikeouts and 1.114 WHIP, but struggled during his first exposure to Triple-A ball, with a 6.04 ERA and career-worst 2.015 WHIP over 22.1 innings in Sacramento.

Last season the 26-year-old was used exclusively in Double-A Richmond, but regressed and produced a career-high 8.04 ERA (and 1.660 WHIP) in 14 appearances before the Giants organziation decided to release him at the beginning of June. Now, he finds himself at a crossroads in his career, running out of opportunities to show he has what it takes to provide a consistent impact.

Not that the Mariners have ever shied away from a challenge, with them welcoming any opportunity to work with flawed talent such as Garcia. And as per this tweet from Driveline Baseball, there's certainly enough for them to tinker with in their pitching laboratory:

Sitting around 95-96 with his fastball, the Redwood City, California does offer some intrigue with a pitching arsenal that also features a cutter, changeup and sweeper. Some may present this situation as being one where if he can't succeed with the Mariners then he can't do it anywhere, but we prefer to represent it as him being in the best possible situation to fulfil his potential.