The Seattle Mariners announced that they have selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Brandyn Garcia from their AAA affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers, on Monday, July 21, making him the first alumnus of the Westfield Starfires to reach Major League Baseball.
Click here for the official announcement from the Mariners organization.
“We are incredibly proud of Brandyn for realizing his dream of reaching Major League Baseball, and even more proud that we were able to be an important step on that journey,” said Starfires owner Chris Thompson. “We have always said that when you come to Bullens Field, you can see tomorrow’s stars today. Brandyn is a shining example of that, and we cannot wait to see him pitch for the Mariners!”
Garcia came to Westfield in 2020 following his rookie campaign with Quinnipiac University. Among nine appearances for the Starfires, the native of East Granby, Connecticut made three starts and closed out two other games, striking out 26 in 20.2 innings of work.
After completing his undergraduate degree at Quinnipiac and a graduate year at Texas A&M University, Garcia was drafted in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft, one of five Starfires selected in that draft.
Since being selected, Garcia has shot through Seattle’s system, and at the time of his recall was named the top left-handed pitching prospect for the Mariners by MLB Pipeline. He began the year at AA Arkansas and played just eight contests in AAA Tacoma before earning the recall from the Mariners.
Seattle will host the Milwaukee Brewers tonight, with a 9:40 p.m. ET first pitch at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington.
