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Ryan Garcia has been the ace of the UCLA Bruins baseball team this year. So, it’s only fitting that he learned his draft fate tonight as well, as Garcia was drafted in the second round (50th overall) of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers.
2 (50): @Rangers select UCLA (CA) P Ryan Garcia. https://t.co/9NcO4b0RW6 #MLBDraft
— MLB Draft Tracker (@MLBDraftTracker) June 4, 2019
Garcia began the year injured, but has managed to put up a 1.39 ERA in 14 appearances, coming out with a record of 10-0. Impressively, he has managed to see a huge jump in his strikeout rate this year compared to last year, putting up a 1.27 K/IP and a ridiculous 11.5 K/9 rate. D1Baseball.com recently did a quick profile on Garcia prior to the draft.
On Ryan Garcia, the RHP the Rangers just selected out of UCLA, a coach from a rival program told me, "He's got great [stuff]. Gonna be a good one."
— Jared Sandler (@JaredSandler) June 4, 2019
Garcia has the profile of a starting pitcher at the next level, helped by the fact that he has four solid pitches in his arsenal that he can utilize to get batters out. He does not necessarily project as a #1 starter yet, but projecting to a #2-#3 isn’t bad by any stretch. Garcia has also benefited late in the draft process, as solid outings late in the season have caused his draft profile to rise and he was drafted much higher than many projected.
Congratulations to Ryan Garcia on being drafted!
Go Bruins!