2012 Indians 26th round pick: RHP Justin Garza

In the 26^th round of the 2012 MLB Draft the Cleveland Indians have selected right-handed pitcher Justin Garza out of Bonita High School (CA).

Date of birth: 3/20/1994 - Height: 5’10” - Weight: 160 - Bats: Right - Throws: Right

Quick take: Garza is a Cal-State Fullerton commit and will probably be a very tough sign, though he could be an example where some bonus pool money saved in the earlier rounded could be used to sign him. He is very small and lacks the ideal frame of a pitcher, but his stuff is very intriguing as he already features a low 90s fastball that has flashed 94 MPH. He also mixes in a curveball, slider and changeup. He throws from a three-quarters slot, has a low effort delivery, and gets some good late sink on his fastball. This is a later round signing that is going to be interesting to see if the Indians can not only pull away from college but also afford to risk signing with the draft bonus pool setup.

Jeff Ellis: Justin Garza is another slight pitcher the Tribe drafted at 5'10", and his height is a concern. This is the only way to explain why he slid as he can throw in the mid 90's and was one of the most dominant pitchers in all of high school baseball over the past two years. His slight nature and dominance of the high school level made me think of last year's pick Dillon Peters, even though they are much different pitchers. You want to know how sick his numbers were? He went  6-1 and the one loss ended an 18-game win streak, he had a 0.39 ERA, and a 60/8 strikeout to walk ratio. Not only does he throw hard, but his numbers do demonstrate solid command for a young arm. He needs to develop his secondary pitches, but his command and feel for his fastball make me hope that the Indians somehow sign Garza away from Cal Fullerton.

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