Garcia, the cousin of Royals postseason hero Alcides Escobar, signed with Kansas City during the 2016-17 international signing period and hopes to follow in his cousin’s footsteps in the future.
Garcia, like Escobar, is a shortstop who exploded into the scene in 2021 with a ton of contact and walks between Low-A and High-A.
In the offseason, such skill, along with his defense, won him a position on the 40-man roster, which protected him from the Rule 5 Draft.
Garcia, who was born in La Sabana, Venezuela, is in his third season with the Royals after signing as a non-drafted free agency on July 27, 2016.
Garcia hit .500/.542/.682 (11-for-22) in five games with Burlington from July 29 to August 4, with five runs scored, two doubles, a triple, six RBI, two walks, and two steals.
In all four games in which he had a hit, he had multiple hits, with his lone blemish of the week being a 0-for-4 on August 2.
The 22-year-old went 3-for-6, 3-for-5, 2-for-4, and 3-for-3 in the other four games, as the Royals won three of the five games he appeared in throughout the week.
Garcia’s strengths are contact rather than power. He hit .291 last season with only four home runs — and he can get on base, with a combined on-base percentage of .380 in 2021.
His walk rate has improved and his strikeout rate has decreased as he has progressed through the system.
How Old Is Maikel Garcia?
Maikel Garcia is 22 years old. He was born on March 3, 2000.