Seattle Mariners: Top 50 players of all time
By Nick Lee
14. Freddy Garcia (1999-2004)
Garcia broke into the big leagues in 1999 with the Mariners. The 6 foot 4 inch Venezuelan had 17 wins in his rookie year, finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Carlos Beltran. He also exceeded 200 innings in his first campaign.
He spent over five seasons as part of Seattle’s rotation. He earned two All-Star bids in a row in 2001 and 2002.
The former was his best year as a Mariner, winning 18 games with a 3.05 ERA in 238 2/3 innings. He had four complete games including three shutouts in that year and set a career high with 181 strikeouts the following year.
Garcia pitched in both the 2000 and 2001 postseasons in Seattle. He started six playoff games, winning three. He had 13 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings in the 2001 ALDS against the Indians.
In mid-2004, Garcia was traded to the White Sox for Mike Morse, Miguel Olivo and Jeremy Reed. Garcia finished his Mariners career with 76 wins (fourth in M’s history), a 3.89 ERA (7th) and 819 strikeouts (6th). He also posted a 18.8 WAR as a Mariner, fifth best among pitchers.
Garcia ended up pitching in the MLB until 2013, when he finished with the Braves. He amassed 156 wins and 1,621 strikeouts in 15 total seasons.
He also was on the 2005 Chicago White Sox team that ended their long drought with a championship. He would never put up the same numbers again as he did in Seattle, but he was a solid starting pitcher for over a decade.