Keys' Garcia logs career-best seven RBIs

After being traded from the only organization he'd known in an eight-year professional career, Wilson Garcia seems to be enjoying the change of scenery.
The Orioles newcomer registered a career-high seven RBIs with a pair of homers and two singles as Class A Frederick totaled 23 hits in a 16-5 thumping of Salem on Wednesday at Nymeo Field. Garcia eclipsed his previous best of six RBIs, set on May 29, 2012 in the Rookie-level Venezuelan Summer League.
The seven RBIs were one shy of the club record set by Jack Voigt on Aug. 3, 1989 against Prince William.

Gameday box score
Acquired from the Phillies for cash considerations on May 1, the 24-year-old is batting .390 with five homers and 19 RBIs in 19 Carolina League games. His immediate success with the Keys has piqued the curiosity of hitting coach Kyle Moore.
"I guess the Phillies had some other guys ahead of him and he was looking for an opportunity," Moore said. "You see guys and you wonder, like, 'What do we do with him here?' But we're dealing with a pretty good athlete with good hands that can actually survive from both sides of the plate and hit some balls hard."
After signing a Minor League deal with Philadelphia in January, Garcia opened the season with Clearwater in the Florida State League but played only seven games before being shut down ahead of the trade. Moore said that his prior knowledge of Garcia came only from researching video and word of mouth -- with manager Ryan Minor, who coached against Garcia in the South Atlantic League, being particularly helpful.
"I've tried to develop a relationship with him and develop a little bit of a trust factor," Moore said. "He's been really easy to coach. ... He's someone that you love to see in your lineup. He's got a really solid routine. He's a pro and he comes to work and he's very low-maintenance. He's been a pleasure to have and a pleasure to work with over the last couple weeks."
This season was Garcia's third in the FSL: he debuted with the Threshers in 2015 and spent the following year with Class A Lakewood before sticking with Clearwater for all of last season. The Venezuela native batted .275/.298/.423 and set career highs with 13 homers and 60 RBIs in 121 games in 2017.

Against the Red Sox, Garcia recorded his first four-hit game since Aug. 14. The switch-hitter bounced out in his first two at-bats against left-hander Enmanuel De Jesus but broke the ice with a line single to left in the fourth inning. Facing righty Algenis Martinez with an 8-1 lead in the fifth, Garcia lofted a three-run shot to the opposite field, capping a six-run outburst.
"He's hitting different pitches in different zones -- a couple of good things you like to see from a hitter," Moore said. "He's covering a lot of the field and hitting balls with authority to a lot of different places."
Garcia victimized Martinez again in the seventh, pulling one over the right field fence for his second three-run homer. He came up with the bases loaded in the ninth and blooped a single to center, driving in his seventh run.
"[Garcia is a] really nice kid. Smiles a lot, loves to be out here," Moore said. "Sometimes when you get a guy over, they can really do things well, like hit as well as he can, but you start going, 'Well, what's wrong with him?' But to be quite honest with you, he's a pleasure.
"We're really happy to have him, I'm glad we picked him up."
Orioles No. 29 prospectRyan McKenna matched career highs with four hits and four RBIs, while T.J. Nichting singled four times for Frederick. A night after falling a double shy of the cycle, Chris Clare picked up three more hits and is 10-for-14 in his last four games.
Salem got two homers and four RBIs from first baseman Jerry Downs, while 30th-ranked Red Sox prospectRoldani Baldwin went yard for the second game in a row.