35 Reasons to Believe

The Phanatic Magazine kicked off its 35 straight days of Phillies on February 25, one article per day detailing each member battling for position as the season begins. Also, look for Michael Rushton's season outlook, which will cap the offseason look at the Phillies on Opening Day -- April 2nd against Atlanta.

DAY 12: Karim Garcia

By Steve Lienert
The Phanatic Magazine

There are veterans, and then there are dust-them-off directly-from-the-back-of-the-shelf veterans.

Two years removed from major-league baseball, the much-traveled Karim Garcia returned from the Far East and is competing for a spot off the Phillies’ bench.

And who said the Fightin’s don’t look overseas for talent?

He’s supposed to be this year’s David Dellucci, but I know Dave Dellucci, and Karim Garcia certainly is no Dave Dellucci.

Garcia, a non-roster invitee to spring training, spent the past two years in Japan playing right field for the Orix Buffaloes.

The 31-year old didn’t exactly light-up the Pacific Coast League either, batting a combined .281 with 34 homers. In his last three major-league seasons, however, Garcia did reach double-digits in home runs, peaking with a career-high 16 bombs for the Indians in 2002.

But that was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Philadelphia is Garcia’s ninth MLB organization in his 12-year career. He last played in the Majors with the Mets and Orioles in 2004, appearing in 85 games. He batted .229 with 10 dingers and 33 RBIs.

For his career, Garcia has played in 488 games with 66 home runs and 212 RBIs.

If the Phils are relying on Garcia to provide anything but a little, and I mean a little, pop off the bench, the team’s outfield situation has been left in shambles.

He does give Philadelphia a much-needed veteran left-handed pinch-hitter, but how much he has left in the tank leaves reason to believe that he’s not the answer the Phillies are looking for.

For what it’s worth, Garcia did have a pretty productive stint during last year’s World Baseball Classic, where he went 3-for-7 (.429) with a triple and an RBI in three games for his native Mexico.

But that’s like saying Hank Baskett will be the Eagles’ best wide receiver after he had a decent training camp.

Tomorrow: Matt Smith