Ralph Albert Garza Jr. (born April 6, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League. He has previously played for the Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, and Tampa Bay Rays. He was drafted by the Astros in the 26th round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft.
| Ralph Garza Jr. | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Garza with the Tri-City ValleyCats in 2015 | |
| Toros de Tijuana – No. 32 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: April 6, 1994 Edinburg, Texas | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 29, 2021, for the Houston Astros | |
| MLB statistics (through 2022 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 3–6 |
| Earned run average | 3.44 |
| Strikeouts | 46 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Professional career
editHouston Astros
editGarza was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 26th round, 769th overall, of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft out of the University of Oklahoma. He made his professional debut with the Low-A Tri-City ValleyCats.
Garza split the 2016 season between the Single-A Quad Cities River Bandits and the High-A Lancaster JetHawks, posting a 6–5 record and 3.35 ERA with 64 strikeouts. In 2017, he played for the High-A Buies Creek Astros, the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks, and the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies, accumulating a 3–3 record and 4.22 ERA in 36 appearances. He split the 2018 season between Fresno and Corpus Christi, pitching to a 7–2 record and 3.51 ERA in 66.2 innings of work.[1]
He spent 2019 in Triple-A with the Round Rock Express, registering an 8–1 record and 4.04 ERA in 42 appearances. Garza did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] He was added to the Astros’ 60-man player pool for the season, but did not appear for the team.[3] He was assigned to the Triple-A Sugar Land Skeeters to begin the 2021 season, and recorded 6.2 scoreless innings across 3 games to begin the year.
On May 26, 2021, the Astros selected Garza for the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[4] Garza made his MLB debut on May 29, pitching in relief in the 12th inning of a game against the San Diego Padres. In the game, he notched his first major league strikeout, punching out Padres catcher Víctor Caratini, but surrendered a 3-run home run to Wil Myers and was credited with the loss. Garza won his first game as a pitcher on July 11. He was sent to relieve Blake Taylor in the eighth inning with the Astros down 7-2. He pitched the final five outs and allowed zero runs on three strikeouts and walks as the Astros won in the bottom of the ninth inning. [5]
On August 1, Garza was designated for assignment by the Astros.[6]
Minnesota Twins
editOn August 4, 2021, Garza was claimed off of waivers by the Minnesota Twins. He was assigned to the Triple-A St. Paul Saints.[7] He made three appearances for St. Paul, allowing three runs in 3+2⁄3 innings. He was designated for assignment by the Twins on March 22, 2022.
Tampa Bay Rays
editOn March 24, 2022, Garza was claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox.[8]
On April 7, 2022, Garza was claimed off of waivers by the Tampa Bay Rays, after he was designated for assignment by the Red Sox.[9] In 19 games, he posted a 3.34 ERA in 35 innings. He was designated for assignment on August 20.[10] Garza cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A Durham Bulls on August 23.[11] He elected free agency following the season on November 10.[12]
Toros de Tijuana
editOn January 8, 2024, Garza signed with the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League.[13] In 41 appearances for Tijuana, he compiled a 3–2 record and 1.30 ERA with 28 strikeouts across 34+2⁄3 innings pitched.
References
edit- ^ "Ralph Garza College, Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "2020 Minor League Season Canceled". MLB Trade Rumors.
- ^ "Astros Announce Initial 60-Man Player Pool". MLB Trade Rumors.
- ^ Lerner, Danielle (May 26, 2021). "Astros call up pitcher Ralph Garza Jr. for potential MLB debut". Houston Chronicle.
- ^ "New York Yankees at Houston Astros Box Score, July 11, 2021".
- ^ "Astros Notes: Garza Jr., James, Bregman, Báez, Brantley".
- ^ "Twins Claim Ralph Garza Jr. Off Waivers from Astros".
- ^ "Red Sox Claim Ralph Garza, Designate Kyle Tyler". March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ Franco, Anthony. "Rays Claim Ralph Garza, Select Chris Mazza". Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- ^ McDonald, Darragh. "Rays Reinstate Manuel Margot, Designate Ralph Garza Jr". www.mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ "Outrights: Garza, Bugg, Godoy". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- ^ "2022-23 Minor League Free Agents For All 30 MLB Teams". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
- ^ "Ralph Garza Reportará A Pretemporada De Toros". eljonronero.com. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet