Lakeland, Fla. — In the spring of 2009, at the grizzled age of 17, Avisail Garcia was playing right field in Single-A games for the Tigers.
It was impressive, imposing, status for an adolescent.
It also was part of ancient history, as it were, for the Tigers and for MLB teams that had seen Venezuela as at least a semi-accessible nation loaded with baseball gold: young talent.