Episode Transcript
[00:00:02] Kelly Walker ; Speaker A: Welcome to this episode of Hustle and pro. I'm your host, Kelly Walker. We're at writers Field today here with the Rough Riders, and we are talking to Ryan Garcia. Frisco, Rough Riders pitcher. Welcome to Hustle and pro.
[00:00:14] Ryan Garcia ; Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you for having me.
[00:00:15] Speaker A: Yeah, thanks for coming on. I've read a couple things, and I want to ask you some quick icebreakers just to sort of understand you a little better. I read that you play video games, so what is your game of choice?
[00:00:25] Speaker B: Yeah, well, right now, it's just playing Fortnite with some teammates. It's just the easiest thing to do when I'm playing solo. There's this game called Baldur's Gate. It's sort of like dungeons and dragons, if you will. So it's just open world, roll some dice, and there you go.
[00:00:45] Speaker A: Do you play sports on. Do you play sports?
[00:00:48] Speaker B: I don't play sports games. I think I have a little gripe with sports games because there's.
There is skill involved, for sure, but you leave a lot to the computer game to decide the outcomes and the.
[00:01:02] Speaker A: Controller and the speed and all that good stuff. Yeah, totally get that. Also, read that you like sports cars. What's your dream car?
[00:01:10] Speaker B: Dream car? Ooh, I'd say a Porsche 911 turbo s. Okay.
[00:01:14] Speaker A: Yeah, very good. All right. So you played at UCLA.
You. Well, you're from California, right? So you played there. So was that just a natural fit that you knew you were gonna like? You always wanted to go play baseball there?
[00:01:27] Speaker B: It wasn't always, I think, growing up, my uncle went to USC, so there was a USC support system there. I went to USC football games, and UCLA didn't really become a reality until I went to their baseball camp in. I can't remember the year, but in the fall leading up to my commitment, okay, I went to a camp, and, you know, obviously, who wouldn't want to go there? And so that's why I went to the camp, just to get myself exposed to the. To the coaching staff, and they liked me enough to invite me back for a visit, and then I committed on the spot when they offered me.
[00:02:04] Speaker A: Oh, wow.
[00:02:04] Speaker B: So, yeah. So you were ready? Yeah, yeah. There's no reason not to. The place gave me everything I could.
[00:02:11] Speaker A: Have hoped for, and it seems like a good fit. Right. You had success there. You were pac twelve pitcher of the year, 22 record, 2.11 era, and 206 strikeouts. Does that sound right?
[00:02:26] Speaker B: Yeah, well, when you put it that way, I honestly, I've never really looked at the stats for the years I've seen them posted, but, like, it never really resonated with me. I just like, going into my junior year, which was my best year, there was a lot of failure leading up to it. My freshman year was not very good.
I think I only had 16 innings, 16 walks. So there was definitely some growth to be had.
[00:02:55] Speaker A: What did you do to turn it around?
[00:02:57] Speaker B: It was just a lot of, I think, just getting myself more exposed as a pitcher. I wasn't necessarily a starting pitcher coming out of high school. I was more of an infielder slash catcher. And so just getting more experience as a pitcher playing summer bowl leagues, I think just that was it. And along with the coaching staff, why.
[00:03:22] Speaker A: Did you make the transition from high school to college, from an infielder and catcher to starting pitcher?
[00:03:26] Speaker B: That wasn't my decision. That was the coaching staff at UCLA.
That's what they saw in me at the camp, and they said, you can still play your position in high school, but moving forward, we believe that starting or pitching is what you're best at.
[00:03:41] Speaker A: But you'd pitched before.
[00:03:43] Speaker B: I had pitched before, yeah. Just, it was like closer role, like inning here or there.
[00:03:49] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:03:49] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:03:50] Speaker A: That's interesting. That's quite a lot to adapt to right away. So I was gonna say, was the jump to college just that much more competitive and it caught you off guard, but obviously not.
[00:04:00] Speaker B: It was the position, I think lack of experience. Yeah, more so, yeah.
[00:04:04] Speaker A: And then you obviously figured it out.
[00:04:07] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:04:07] Speaker A: And so that. So then I was going to ask you about then the transition from college to here.
Did you have any pieces you had to change and adapt to when you made that jump?
[00:04:21] Speaker B: For sure. I mean, you say I figured it out. I don't think any baseball player figures it out. Like, even now, I don't consider myself to have figured it out. I think that's like, what I strive for every day is like, what could I do better today than I did yesterday? And that's just continual growth moving forward.
The biggest jump from, I'd say college to here, definitely more competitive a bats throughout the whole lineup.
In college there are definitely competitive abs, but you can kind of get away with, you know, not having your premier focus, you know, just with the first couple guys in the lineup. It's here, it's one through nine all the time.
[00:05:06] Speaker A: There's no weaknesses.
[00:05:07] Speaker B: Correct.
[00:05:08] Speaker A: Where you can take them. Take a breath. Yeah. Well, like you said, it's never, you're never done learning in this sport, no matter the position. Right. There's always change. And whoever you're facing, that changes. But when you guys have these, what is it, six game homestands and away stands. So does that help you with getting to see who that lineup is going to be as you're watching and watching that come around when it's your turn, for sure.
[00:05:34] Speaker B: It used to be, I think it was just three games, and then you move on to the next series, three games and so on. But now we get, like you said, it's six games. We get to see a team and depending where you are as well, for my role as a starter, where you start throughout that week, you get to see that lineup. And so if you are the first starter to go, you don't necessarily have that time to see the team. So you have to do your own research online and do a scouting report. But yeah, I think where I'm at right now, I get to see the team, I think, twice before I get to go. And so that definitely helps a lot.
[00:06:08] Speaker A: That's good. See him have a couple rounds. How much of that research is that something that you do independently or coaching staff does for you? And how different is that when you were in college?
[00:06:20] Speaker B: Yeah, in college it was.
Well, I know every college is different. And so the way my college coach did it, he did his own scouting report and would tell us the day of or game of on how we will pitch these, the team.
[00:06:35] Speaker A: Oh, that seems kind of last minute.
[00:06:37] Speaker B: Yeah, last minute. But at the same time, it's like he, it was almost like we practiced all week on our strengths and then come the game time, he adapts and. Cause he calls pitches as well. So he adapted the game to do our strengths as well as pitch to the gameplay.
[00:06:56] Speaker A: So he just knew how to dial up your strengths for batter. Okay, sorry, go ahead.
[00:06:59] Speaker B: The way it is here, I've worked really close with John Goble, our pitching coach, with our scouting reports, and he's helped me a lot with just the information we have online. It's anything you can think of, it's there. And so you dot your t's and I's with every batter on the other team. And there's really no excuse besides execution of your pitches to get these guys out.
[00:07:31] Speaker A: No excuse to be caught off guard with who you're facing.
[00:07:33] Speaker B: Right? Right. And so, like I said, the information is all there, everything you can ever want. And so I've worked really close with John Goble on getting our report styled in and pitching to that plan as best I can.
[00:07:47] Speaker A: What about on the other side of that postgame? How much do you guys look at performance and making any changes, or do you do really not, do you just continue, like you said, come in the next day, get better at your, you know, like, your mechanics or whatever you need to do to get better, regardless of what that performance was at your last start.
[00:08:07] Speaker B: Yeah. So you do get reports after outings the next day, going over just your ball and strike percentage, your swing and miss percentage.
Like I said, any information you can think of, really.
And then you just go based off there on, like, what you think. I, moving forward, will be the best area to attack and developing. And I think for me right now, it's developing more consistent shape with some offspeed pitches.
I have certain, when I say certain success, a lot more success when a pitch looks this type of way versus another type of way. And so we're working hard in practices and bullpens to get that consistent shape. Yeah.
[00:08:47] Speaker A: So I was gonna ask you, it's fascinating to me to like, because I have a youth baseball player. So I think it's interesting to see, like, how fast these kids are pitching when they're young and, and also if that's sustainable and if, you know, if they can keep throwing hard. So I was gonna ask you if you were throwing hard young, but you really don't have that same backstory as, like, you weren't trying to throw 90 miles an hour when you were 13. Right. Because you weren't. That wasn't your primary position.
That's probably better for you.
[00:09:16] Speaker B: Yeah. I was actually had this conversation yesterday on, like, if I were to go back. Cause I did get Tommy John surgery.
[00:09:23] Speaker A: You did? Okay.
[00:09:23] Speaker B: I did, yeah. In 20, 1929 or 2020, I had Tommy John surgery. And if I were to go back and even, like, to. There's kids getting surgery younger and younger these days, and it's always, there's this common theme of, like, he's either too flexible without enough strength, or he's just too strong without enough flexibility. And so there's that fine line between the two. And if you really want to maximize your potential or your ability not to get hurt, in a way, it's finding that balance between the two and doing the best you can and being both strong and flexible.
[00:10:02] Speaker A: That's tricky. Right? It's tricky. Okay. So I jumped into some of that, but I was going to ask you, you mentioned 2020, but so 2019, you are the 50th overall pick in the MLB first year player draft. What's your reaction? California guy, grew up, play there in college to know you're coming to Texas.
[00:10:23] Speaker B: Well, the reaction was, I didn't get any phone call, like any typical draftee does.
We were playing in a, in the regionals playoffs, and I found out after the game, I think one of my teammates told me, he's like, hey, you just got drafted by the Texas Rangers. And it was immediate shock because I had conversations with them, but in no way I would have thought that they would have drafted me because based off their previous interest, I had definitely had more interest from other teams. And so initial was shock and excitement went straight to my family and, you know, shared special moment there.
[00:11:05] Speaker A: Did they know before you knew?
[00:11:06] Speaker B: They knew during the game? Yeah, because that's when it all happened during the game.
[00:11:10] Speaker A: That's funny that you were playing blocked off from, right, right, yeah, that's funny.
So I also read that Max Scherzer is somebody you look up to. Is that like, pitching style specifically in college?
[00:11:24] Speaker B: More so because of the intensity. I mean, there's still intensity with him today, but the intensity that he pitches with, it's almost like that, you know, the thing that gets him through consistent quality starts is just the intensity he plays the game with. And it's not necessarily, yeah, he does have great shapes in his pitches, and he's a really good pitcher, but his intensity is just something that stands out, and I'd like to emulate that was.
[00:11:57] Speaker A: Probably always right, but now that you're in the Rangers organization, you're like, you know, probably more dialed in to, like, right now his story and his, like, he just came back.
[00:12:08] Speaker B: Yeah, he's just recently. Right. He's still here. Yeah, just got back from rehab and, you know, he's still pitching with that same intensity.
[00:12:15] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. But that's gotta be pretty cool for you to see somebody that you've watched and looked up to. I guess, as you came through the game to now be in the same organization.
Is that something that, like, you, you set your goals on next steps a lot, or are you in the day to day and let's figure out what.
[00:12:31] Speaker B: Tomorrow brings in regards to playing with them? Yeah, I think so. You know, I think I've come to realize that everyone's on their own path, and as much as you'd like it to play out as you wanted it to, it never really does play out.
[00:12:46] Speaker A: Really hard to control it. Right? Yeah. Or steer it your way, I guess.
[00:12:50] Speaker B: Exactly. And so I've come to peace with that, and the best I can do is the best I can do today, and so that's what I've come to realize. And so everyone's on their own path.
[00:13:01] Speaker A: That's good, though, because if you get set on something and you don't want to, I don't know, voice disappointment or whatever, if it doesn't go exactly the way you plan for in this stage. Right. So you're probably best to just focus on you. Exactly. That's all you can do, what you can control.
[00:13:18] Speaker B: If you dwell on it, it'll just make things worse.
[00:13:20] Speaker A: The irony of control, which is your job, right, controlling your pitches. So unless this isn't public knowledge, like what is your best or go to or most comfortable pitch, I know you don't want to give away what you're doing, but.
[00:13:35] Speaker B: No, it's fine. I think this year I've been really comfortable with my off speed pitches.
I think in the past, what has gotten me into trouble is trying to lean on my fastball, and if I find myself to be in trouble with my fastball, I didn't really have anything to go to.
And so this year, it's been my offspeed pitches has just been able to get me back in to counts. And, yeah, I think that ultimately helps all the other pitches, like my fastball.
[00:14:07] Speaker A: Yeah. Gives you more options.
[00:14:09] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:14:10] Speaker A: To get through the count differently.
[00:14:11] Speaker B: That's one thing that stood out to me this year with my performance, is that I've been really happy with the way my offspring pitches have been at this point.
[00:14:20] Speaker A: Are there new types of pitches that you have to go discover and figure out how to put in your tool belt?
[00:14:26] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, the cutter is something I've thrown a lot this year that I've never thrown before, and so I've had a.
I'd say more of a love relationship than a hate relationship with it, but there is still love hate with it.
[00:14:41] Speaker A: Was that an off season development?
[00:14:43] Speaker B: We kind of messed with it last year during season, and it never really showed itself in the game. It was something that I was throwing in the off season, and that's the pitch that if I had get into the certain shape that we want, that it performs the best, and so that's something I've just continued to work on.
[00:15:03] Speaker A: Do you have family in baseball?
[00:15:08] Speaker B: In professional baseball?
[00:15:09] Speaker A: No, just baseball.
[00:15:11] Speaker B: My brother plays baseball.
[00:15:12] Speaker A: Okay. That's what I thought. I just wasn't sure at what level.
[00:15:15] Speaker B: He's a junior in high school, and my father, he's a travel ball coach for I don't even know how many teams, but he has a lot of teams. And, yeah, he runs a travel ball.
[00:15:29] Speaker A: Team both in California.
[00:15:30] Speaker B: In California, yeah.
[00:15:31] Speaker A: Was he your coach growing up?
[00:15:33] Speaker B: He was my little league coach. I think once I moved to travel ball, he kind of wanted me to figure things out for myself.
[00:15:41] Speaker A: That's interesting. That's good.
[00:15:42] Speaker B: So he kind of watched from afar when I played travel ball, and he did end up helping out with some high school game or some high school teams. I think he was around, but after little league, I think he was not my main coach.
[00:16:00] Speaker A: Yeah, my dad was my little league coach, too.
So was he able to, like, turn after, when you were playing travel ball and he wasn't your coach, was he able to turn that off? And I know he watched, of course, and he has all the input, but did he give it to you?
[00:16:13] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, who wouldn't?
Yeah, exactly. If he has something that he sees in the stands, why wouldn't he say anything, as any father would?
But, you know, it was good. I think what he did just, you know, letting me not be babied, in a sense, and so I was able to figure stuff out, as in, like, the importance of working hard. I wasn't, like, I've stated I wasn't the all star player that I was as growing up, and I was always, like, maybe a nine hole hitter, so I had to earn stuff when I was younger, for sure.
[00:16:55] Speaker A: I like that. I hear that a lot. Like, I think that's important because it is definitely not always. It is not like, a straight, linear path for the best player growing up to always be the best player. It's really, to me, the exception. Right. It's usually the somebody that's more in the middle of the pack that sees that they have to overcome and work harder and stay the course that ends up making it a career, for sure.
[00:17:22] Speaker B: That's definitely what it was. I was on the team with the guys that were the best in the country, and I did learn from them, for sure. And that was a blessing. And. But I think that's where it's.
You have two paths to choose. It's like, oh, I give up here, because they're better than me, or it's like, no, I can be just as good as them. So that was the path I definitely chose.
[00:17:45] Speaker A: Yes. I love that. That's great. Fantastic. Well, it was nice talking to you, learning a little more about you here at the ballpark with my family a lot. So we're always rooting for you. We'll continue to do that as you make your starts here in Frisco. So thanks for your time today. Thank you for having me, and thank you for watching this episode of Hustle and Pro. Be sure to subscribe on YouTube and follow us on Instagram for alerts on the next episode. See you next time.
