From Nicaraguan Winter League to MLB, Garabito stars in debut

MINNEAPOLIS -- Bruce Bochy, admittedly, did not know of Gerson Garabito’s existence until a few short weeks ago.

Garabito signed a Minor League deal with the Rangers in December, and he didn’t appear in big league camp during Spring Training. But Texas is in a pitching bind with six starters on the injured list. The Rangers need arms, and need them badly.

Enter Garabito.

The 28-year-old right-hander had been out of affiliated baseball for two years before joining the Rangers’ organization. He promptly arrived in Minnesota on Sunday to start Texas’ series finale against the Twins at Target Field, tossing 3 2/3 innings of one-run ball in the 6-2 win that halted a six-game losing streak.

“I don't know what he was doing,” Bochy said of Garabito’s time out of affiliated ball. “I haven't heard anything. We haven't gotten that far yet since he just got here. What he was doing, what he was involved with, y'all will have to ask him and tell me.”

A Dominican Republic native, Garabito was originally signed as an international free agent by the Royals in September 2012. He spent seven seasons in the Kansas City system (2013-19) and one with the Giants (2021) before leaving affiliated ball.

Garabito appeared in the Dominican Winter League (2023-24 for Aguilas Cibaenas), Nicaraguan Winter League (2022-23 for Leones de León) and Venezuelan Winter League (2021-22 for Leones del Caracas). He combined to go 6-2 with a 2.86 ERA in 17 games (12 starts) over those international stints, but he wasn’t on many people’s radars stateside.

He wouldn’t have been on the Rangers’ radar either if not for a tip from someone outside of the organization who saw Garabito pitch for the Dominican team in an international tournament.

After some additional scouting, Garabito soon found himself back stateside with the Rangers in Spring Training. A few short months later, he’s a big leaguer.

“Congrats to him, it's a pretty cool day,” said catcher Jonah Heim. “That's amazing. I feel like all of us have our own story. Some of us got here quick. Some of us took seven years like myself to get here. You can really, really respect what it takes to get here. It's even more impressive what it takes to get here and what he did today.”

And truthfully, the Rangers didn’t need too much out of Garabito. The healthy starters haven’t even been the issue as the club’s endured a brutal six-game losing streak.

Garabito just needed to leave the game with Texas in a position to win. He did just that.

The right-hander opened his debut with three no-hit innings against the Twins, though he did issue four walks overall. He allowed two hits and a run in the fourth frame before exiting with two outs and turning it over to the bullpen.

“He stayed calm out there, I'll say,” Bochy said. “He gave us a good effort, working around some walks. He had some deep counts, and he made some big pitches on full counts. But he kept his poise and it was impressive. I thought the kid, for his first outing, did a pretty good job.”

Prior to his callup, Garabito had posted a 2.05 ERA with 10 walks and 37 strikeouts across seven games (five starts) for Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock this season. He had allowed one earned run over his last 17 1/3 innings in the Minors, leading the Pacific Coast League in ERA (min. 15 innings) in that span.

“First of all, I feel so happy about this,” Garabito said. “I just still [wanted to do] my job. … It was something I was waiting for a long time, and then today it happened to me. It was like, ‘Wow, I did it.’ When I signed, I had a plan, but I didn’t expect to be here at this time. But it’s God’s plan. That’s the only thing I can say.”

And in his Major League debut on Sunday, Garabito outdueled Pablo López, giving the Rangers a start that they desperately needed.

“There's been some great stories in this game, and I think this is one of them,” Bochy said pregame. “I do, especially when you look at the path that led him to this point. Sometimes you get away from it for a little bit and it even makes you more hungry. I'll say this, when you step back and you look at it from a different perspective or lens, you look at the game and you learn a lot. You do. You think about what you could have done differently or what you would do differently and maybe the passion grows. It’s pretty cool.”