The Pittsburgh Pirates have selected Chapman Panthers right hand pitcher Nick Garcia with the 79th pick of the 2020 MLB Draft.
Nick Garcia was a standout player for the Chapman Panthers baseball team for the past three years. Garcia started out as an infielder his freshman season at Chapman before moving to pitcher as a sophomore. In his sophomore season at Chapman, Garcia appeared in 30 games as a reliever and had an impressive record of 9-0 to go along with 12 saves. Garcia had an astounding 0.64 ERA his sophomore season leading Chapman to a Division Three National Championship.
In the 2020 covid-19 shortened season, Garcia became a starting pitcher for the Panthers and finished with a 4-1 record and an ERA of 2.00.
Garcia shines as a pitcher with his 6-4, 215-pound frame. He stands out with his great delivery and extension to go along with his rhythm and late hard slider. Scouts have compared Nick Garcia to half of fame pitcher John Smoltz and have labeled him the best division three prospect since Jordan Zimmermann.
The buzz around the league is that the Pirates got a first-round talent in the third round. If it wasn’t for him playing at the division three level, Garcia would’ve been a no brainer first-round pick.
The future looks bright for former Chapman baseball standout Nick Garcia. He will report to the organization in the 2020 season where he looks to be a vital part of the Pirates big league roster for years to come.
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