ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals infielder Greg Garcia's career in professional baseball began in 2001, when at 12 years old, he spent a season as a bat boy for the Rockies. For one mile-high summer, Garcia fetched foul balls and racked helmets while brushing shoulders with the likes of Todd Helton, Larry Walker, Mike Hampton and Juan Pierre.
It was the kind of big league "opportunity a lot of kids don't have," Garcia said on Tuesday when reflecting on the death of his grandfather.
Dave Garcia, whose six-plus decades in the game included stints managing the Angels and Indians, died this week in San Diego.