The rise of Cardinals left-hander Jaime Garcia is testament to not only to his talent and perseverance, but also the persistence of the scout who signed him, Joe Almaraz.
Almaraz was working for the Orioles in 2004 when he recommended that the team draft Garcia. The Orioles selected Garcia in the 30th round, but did not sign him.
The next off-season, Almaraz left the Orioles for the Cardinals. He again recommended Garcia. The Cardinals took the pitcher in the 22nd round -- and got his name in a contract.
Garcia, 23, missed most of 2009 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and the Cardinals figured they would start him at Class AAA, monitor his progress and watch him carefully.
Manager Tony La Russa said he slowly abandoned that plan after watching Garcia perform better than any Cardinals pitcher from the start of spring training.
Garcia has allowed only one earned run in 13 innings. At the moment, he might be the best fifth starter in the game.
Fox Sports
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