CLEARWATER, Fla. — Rony Garcia has a smile on his face.
He is thinking back to his favorite memory from the offseason.
The 24-year-old right-hander, a former Rule 5 draft pick, always wanted to face 31-year-old outfielder Marcell Ozuna, a nine-year MLB veteran from the Dominican Republic. He assumed his first opportunity would come in the big leagues with the Detroit Tigers.
"But the first time I ever had a chance, it was in the Dominican Republic," Garcia said last week, with Tigers bilingual media coordinator Carlos Guillen interpreting. "I couldn't believe it.