José Adolis García Arrieta, nicknamed "El Bombi", (born March 2, 1993) is a Cuban professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

for the Texas Rangers of

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

(MLB). He previously played in MLB for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals h ...

and in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formatio ...

(NPB) for the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...

. García was an

MLB All-Star The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...

in 2021 and 2023.

Career

Early career

García played for

Ciego de Ávila Ciego de Ávila City () is a city in the central part of Cuba and the capital of Ciego de Ávila Province. The city has a population of about 497.000, in a municipality of 756,373. Geography Ciego de Ávila lies on the Carretera Central highwa ...

of the

Cuban National Series The Cuban National Series (, SNB) is the primary domestic professional baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the Series is a part of the Cuban baseball league system. ...

from 2011 into 2016. On April 20, 2016, García signed with the

. García played for the

Cuban national team Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a pe ...

at the

2015 Pan American Games Fifteen or 15 may refer to: * 15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music * Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak a ...

St. Louis Cardinals

García

defected In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state. More broadly, defection involves abandoning a person, ca ...

from Cuba in 2016. He signed with the

in February 2017, receiving a non-roster invitation to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

. He spent 2017 with both the

Springfield Cardinals The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They compete as a member of the Texas League's North Division. The Cardinals began play in 2005. The team is owned by the 11-time Major League Baseball ( ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

and the

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redb ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL ...

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Bas ...

, posting a combined .290

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average i ...

with 15

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is ...

s and 65

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

(RBIs) between both clubs. García began the 2018 season with Memphis. The Cardinals promoted him to the major leagues on August 6. In 112 games for Memphis, he batted .256 with 22 home runs, 71 RBIs, and ten stolen bases, and in 21 games for St. Louis, he hit .118. García was designated for assignment on December 18, 2019.

Texas Rangers

On December 21, 2019, García was traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for cash considerations. In 2020 for the Rangers, García recorded only six at-bats, and went hitless on the year.

2021

On February 10, 2021, García was designated for assignment after the signing of

Mike Foltynewicz Michael Gary Foltynewicz (; born October 7, 1991), nicknamed "Folty", is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, and Texas Ranger ...

was made official. On February 12, García was outrighted and invited to spring training as a non-roster invitee. On April 13, 2021, García was selected to the active roster after

Ronald Guzmán Ronald Enmanuel Guzmán Cepeda (born October 20, 1994) is a Dominican professional baseball first baseman and pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers and New Y ...

was placed on the injured list. García was named the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

Rookie of the Month for May 2021 after hitting .312 with a .633 slugging percentage and 11 home runs. García was named as a reserve for the

in the

2021 MLB All-Star Game The 2021 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 91st Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The game was hosted by the Colorado Rockies and played at Coors Field on July 13, with the American League (AL) defeating the National League (NL) 5– ...

, and went one-for-two with a

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

in the game. In 2021, García batted .243/.286/.454/.740 and led all rookies with 90 RBIs and 59 extra-base hits. He also hit 31 home runs and tied for the league lead with 16 outfield assists.

2022

Over 156 games for Texas in 2022, García hit .250/.300/.456/.756 with 27 home runs, 101 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases.

2023

On April 22, 2023, against the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

, García had five hits, including two doubles and three home runs, and drove in eight runs. With this, he became the fourth person in MLB history to hit three home runs and two doubles in one game. García was named as a reserve for the

in the

2023 MLB All-Star Game The 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 93rd Major League Baseball All-Star Game, held between the American League (AL) and the National League (NL) of Major League Baseball (MLB). The game was played on July 11, 2023, and was br ...

, the second selection of his career. On September 8, García suffered a right knee patella tendon strain but missed only 10 games. In 148 total games in 2023, García hit .245/.328/.508/.836 with 39 home runs, 107 RBI, and 9 stolen bases. In 2023, despite losing the division to the Astros on the final day of the regular season, the Rangers upset the Rays and Orioles to make it to the

ALCS The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the American ...

to play Houston. Over the final four games of the series, García homered five times. In Game 5 García hit a lead-changing three-run home run to put Texas up 4-2. In the bottom of the eighth, Garcia was at the center of a benches-clearing incident after he was hit by a

Bryan Abreu Bryan Enrique Abreu (born April 22, 1997) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). Abreu signed with the Astros as an international free agent in 2013, and made his major league debut in 2 ...

fastball, resulting in his ejection from the game and a fine. Houston ended up winning 5-4. In Game 6 in Houston, with Texas in a must-win situation, he hit a grand slam in the top of the ninth despite striking out four times that day. In Game 7, an 11-4 blowout in favor of Texas, García homered twice and drove in five runs. Over the series, García set a record with 15 RBIs in a postseason series and was named the ALCS Most Valuable Player. In Game 1 of the 2023 World Series versus the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. ...

, García hit a walk-off home run versus

Miguel Castro Miguel Ángel Castro (born December 24, 1994) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Oriol ...

in the bottom of the eleventh inning. García set a single post-season record by recording 22 RBI throughout the Rangers run. García suffered a strained right oblique at the end of Game 3 and missed the final two games of the series. García and Texas won the

2023 World Series The 2023 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2023 season, and the 119th edition of the World Series. It was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Texas Rangers and the ...

in 5 games. García won an

outfield

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

in 2023, the first of his career.

2024

On February 8, 2024, García signed a two-year, $14 million contract with the Rangers to avoid arbitration.

Personal life

His older brother,

Adonis García Adonis García Arrieta (born April 12, 1985) is a Cuban former professional baseball third baseman. He played in the Cuban National Series from 2004 through 2011, and then defected from Cuba to play for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseb ...

, is a former professional baseball player. García is the godfather of

Randy Arozarena Randy Arozarena González (born February 28, 1995) is a Cuban-Mexican professional baseball outfielder for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2020, Arozarena set the MLB recor ...

's daughter. Arozarena, who defected from Cuba a year before García and also signed his first minor league contract with the Cardinals, described García in July 2023 as "kind of like my brother."

References

External links

, o
NPB
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Adolis 1993 births Living people American League All-Stars Baseball players at the 2015 Pan American Games Cuban expatriate baseball players in Japan Cuban expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Defecting Cuban baseball players Gigantes del Cibao players Gold Glove Award winners Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from Cuba Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games Memphis Redbirds players Nippon Professional Baseball left fielders Pan American Games bronze medalists for Cuba Pan American Games medalists in baseball People from Ciego de Ávila Sportspeople from Ciego de Ávila Province Springfield Cardinals players St. Louis Cardinals players Texas Rangers players Tigres de Ciego de Avila players Yomiuri Giants players

Career

Early career

St. Louis Cardinals

Texas Rangers

2021

2022

2023

2024

Personal life

See also

References

External links