DETROIT — Outfielder Avisa\u00edl Garc\u00eda, who began his career by getting big postseason hits as a Detroit Tigers rookie, announced his retirement this week.<\/p>\n
Garc\u00eda, 34, played parts of 12 Major League seasons, most recently with the Miami Marlins in 2024.<\/p>\n
Garc\u00eda signed with the Tigers out of Venezuela as a relatively unheralded prospect, worked his way up the minor leagues and made his MLB debut in 2012, having just turned 21.<\/p>\n
Although he played sparingly in the final month of the regular season, he earned a spot on the playoff roster and recorded the first extra-base hit of his career in the clinching Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees.<\/p>\n
Despite the promising beginning, Garc\u00eda\u2019s career with the Tigers did not last long. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox in December 2013 as part of a massive three-team deal that brought shortstop Jos\u00e9 Iglesias to Detroit.<\/p>\n
Garc\u00eda went on to play parts of six seasons with the White Sox, one with the Tampa Bay Rays and two with the Milwaukee Brewers before finishing his career with the Marlins. He earned more than $80 million over his career, propelled by three strong seasons: an All-Star 2017 campaign with the White Sox, a bounce-back 2019 season with the Rays and a strong 2021 season with the Brewers that led to his final four-year, $53 million contract with Miami.<\/p>\n
That deal turned out to be a disaster for the Marlins. Beset by injuries, Garc\u00eda played in only 153 games and was worth negative 1.9 WAR, according to Baseball Reference.<\/p>\n
For his career, Garc\u00eda finished with 1,038 hits, 140 home runs, a .263 batting average, a .733 OPS and a 100 OPS+ in 4,298 plate appearances across 1,104 games. He played primarily in right field, where he typically graded out as an above-average defender.<\/p>\n