Cincinnati Reds: Three biggest stories through first week of spring games

1. Jose Garcia has arrived

Well, fans have been clamoring for Dick Williams and Nick Krall to find the Reds a shortstop. I think they’ve already got one. Jose Garcia has exploded onto the scene during the first week of Reds camp. The 21-year-old has flashed abilities that Reds Country hasn’t seen since Barry Larkin was in the organization.

Now, don’t get too excited, as Garcia is at least one, if not two years away from making his debut in the majors. Freddy Galvis, barring injury will be the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day starter at shortstop when the St. Louis Cardinals come to town on March 26th.

But, while unlikely to see the field at Great American Ball Park anytime soon, Garcia has certainly turned some heads. Garcia is 4-for-9 with a double, three homers and six RBIs. His OPS is sitting at 1.919. That’s unreal.

It’s also very early. But, Keith Law of The Athletic recently ranked Garcia as one of the Top 100 prospects in all of baseball. Law believes that once Garcia reaches the majors, he could hit 15-plus homers per season and hit for a high average.

The whole baseball world has taken note and Reds Country is excited to see what both Garcia and Cincinnati’s top catching prospect Tyler Stephenson can do. Stephenson is 3-for-7 this spring with a homer and two doubles.