Cincinnati Reds: Three players hindered by the delay of the 2020 season

3. Jose Garcia, Shortstop

Now, before you go crazy, I’m not suggesting that Jose Garcia deserved a spot on the Opening Day roster. Even though Garcia hit .269/.300/.769 with four home runs and seven RBIs in 13 games, the 21-year-old has yet to play above Advanced-A. So, all those throughout Reds Country who want to see Garcia in the bigs this season – settle down.

However, there is something to be said for the young prospect’s development. His time in Goodyear was Garcia’s first exposure to big league camp and he was given ample opportunities to prove that he belongs. My concern for Garcia comes on the other side, as we don’t know what the 2020 minor league season is going to look like.

So much of our time has been devoted to how this affects the major league talent, but little light has been shed on those in the minor leagues. I’m not talking about salary, but development. Players like Jose Garcia need reps. The Cuban native has played just 229 minor league games during his career and has a slash line of .261/.315/.386.

I firmly believe that Garcia is the future at shortstop. This year is out of the question and even next year seems like a stretch. However, if there’s any hope of Garcia making next year’s Opening Day roster, he needs more time to develop and the delayed start is certainly hindering that. Hopefully we get past where we are very soon and the players can return to the field.