Maikel Garcia comes from a talent-rich baseball family as the cousin of former Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar and Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. Unlike his cousin Alcides, Garcia put up very good walk rates in the minors, but still didn’t herald much attention as a prospect until he was promoted to Triple-A in 2022. In 40 games at Omaha, he smacked seven home runs, more than he had ever put up in a full season before. If that newfound power was real, he maybe more than a slappy infielder with a good glove.
It was enough for ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel to take notice.