Frosty Microbrews: Garcia, McClanahan on the corners

With an average age of 21.1 years old, Timber Rattlers position players were the youngest in the Midwest League's Western Division and among the youngest in the league as a whole in 2017. That trend could continue in 2018 as a pair of corner infielders who turn 20 years old later this month will report to spring training looking to win a job on their first full season team.

Gabriel Garcia is a native of Puerto Rico and was the Brewers' 14^th round pick in the 2016 draft. Over the past two seasons he's played in 101 games across two rookie levels and batted an even .300 with a .411 on-base percentage and .499 slugging over that time.
"He's been involved in the program for the last couple of years and you've seen his progression over the years. He had a nice year in Helena last year and I fully expect that if he can stay healthy he'll be in the mix for our team come next spring training," Timber Rattlers manager Matt Erickson said.
Despite relatively consistent offensive contributions from Garcia, the Helena Brewers' 2017 season got off to a rough start and fell victim to some extended cold streaks. He cited his ability to remain consistent through the highs and lows of a long professional season as his proudest accomplishment on the year.
"A lot of ups and downs, but we got it together at the end of the season to try and finish strong. That's what the goal was, and thank God I accomplished it," Garcia said.
Like many professional players, Garcia grew up playing shortstop but moved to other defensive positions as he got older. Since being drafted he's played primarily at first base, but he has also made occasional appearances at third base and in the outfield. He made the move from shortstop to third in high school and said that's still the position where he's most comfortable.
"I grew up playing shortstop, so I'll say third right now because I don't play shortstop anymore," Garcia said. "But I would say third, that's where I feel most comfortable. But there's a lot of work that needs to be done trying to get better."
Moving from shortstop to third successfully requires quick reflexes, fast decision-making skills and a strong arm, but Garcia said he was able to adjust to it after some transitional growing pains.
"Basically it's the same position, it's just more reaction. It wasn't that tough. At first it was kind of a bit shaky in the beginning, you've got to know where you're going to be at depending on the hitter, the counts and all that, but then we got it together," Garcia said.
With all of that said, Garcia's top priority is getting into the lineup regardless of position.
"I'll play wherever the coaches need me. I'm just trying to help the team: wherever I can help the team win, that's where I play," Garcia said.
Timber Rattlers hitting coach Hainley Statia was with the Arizona Summer League Brewers in 2016 when Garcia made his professional debut at that level. He said he's noticed a significant change in Garcia's game.
"I had him last year too and he's made huge improvements. He always was a good player but he's made some big strides. I think he's ready to go to Wisconsin next year, so I'm really excited for him," Statia said. "He works hard, he's the first one in the cage wanting to work. Guys like that, they always seem to get better because they're willing to work, willing to learn."
Statia said getting to see a player like Garcia develop and progress throughout the organization is one of the best parts of his job.
"Being able to have the young kids and see them making progress, making them trust you, because they've got to trust you to get better, and trust themselves to get better. So it's very cool to see those things happen when the guy is making strides in the right direction," Statia said.
Chad McClanahan and Garcia were teammates under Statia in 2016 and were together again with Helena in 2017. McClanahan was the Brewers' 11^th round pick in the 2016 draft and signed with Milwaukee despite an offer to remain close to home and play college baseball at Arizona State. His second professional season got off to a bit of a rough start, as he batted just .200 with a .306 on-base percentage in his first 30 games for Helena. He rebounded down the stretch, however, batting .267 with a .371 on-base percentage in his final 33 appearances.
"I just learned never to get too high or too low, because there's always another game the next day," McClanahan said. "If you're feeling down on yourself it's just going to carry over into the next game. So the biggest thing is just staying consistent through all 100 games or 140 games or however many you play that year and just trying to stay as consistent as possible."
Like Garcia, McClanahan has played regularly at both corner infield positions early in his professional career. Unlike Garcia, however, McClanahan has played more often at third base: 68 of his 92 professional starts in the field have come at that position. He cited his work in the field as the biggest thing he was proud of from his 2017 campaign.
"I think my defense really improved. I was really hoping this year that it would improve at first and third base, and I think I did for the most part. My actions on the infield have really improved, and I think the guys around here (Brewers Instructional League camp) are pretty happy with it, so I'm happy with it too," McClanahan said.
Meanwhile, McClanahan still has some work to do to maximize the power coming from his 6'5" frame. He's hit just six home runs and slugged .322 as a professional but this fall he was working on his swing and his strength with the goal of improving upon those numbers.
"Offensively I want to get to the point where I'm driving balls over the fence and in the gaps. That's the biggest thing," McClanahan said. "And obviously overall strength, just trying to get my body to the point where it needs to be."
2017 was McClanahan's second season participating in Instructional League, so he was in position to offer an opinion on the differences between the two seasons. The Brewers invited significantly fewer players to participate in the fall camp this year, played fewer games and spent much more time focused on individual instruction.
"It's really more about development in the skill part of the game, which I think has been really beneficial for everyone but especially for me. So I've really enjoyed my second time through, for sure," McClanahan said.
If McClanahan makes the jump to Wisconsin for 2017, his work ethic and determination are the traits he wants fans to see.
"I'm going to get up there and I'm going to give them my all. I'm going to try to give it 100% every game, whether I'm feeling good or not I want to go out there and just give it my all," McClanahan said.
Meanwhile, Garcia cited a desire to help the team win as the trait he wanted fans to know about.
"I like to win, man. I like to win," Garcia said.