Hector Garcia Inks Deal for 2026, Set for Second Season With Team
WASHINGTON, Pa. (Dec. 6) – The Washington Wild Things have made it three right-handed pitchers inked to contract extensions in three days with the re-signing of Hector Garcia, who was the team’s most consistent and arguably best bullpen weapon last season.
Garcia was 3-3 with a 2.81 ERA in 48 innings across a team-high 40 games. He also owned three saves and allowed only 35 hits and 19 walks against 62 strikeouts in his first full professional season last summer. Hector picked up his first professional save May 29 at Lake Erie.
The righty pitched in two games for the FCL affiliate of the Minnesota Twins (Rookie Ball) in 2023 before suffering a meniscus injury that cost him the remainer of 2023 before being assigned to throw live BP in 2024, a season that ended due to forearm soreness and a cortisone injection. He was an 18th-round pick of the Twins in 2023 out of Hope International.
Garcia’s collegiate career was video game like. In four seasons at Hope International, he was 18-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 46 games (24 starts). In 180 innings, he had five saves, three complete games and a shutout to go with 272 strikeouts versus 55 walks. Between 2022-23, the two seasons he spent in the rotation, he was 15-1 in 24 starts and struck out 204 batters in 130.1 innings. His WHIP in both seasons was .905 or better.
He was a two-time NAIA All-American Honorable Mention and GSAC Pitcher of the Year (2022, 2023). He pitched in nine games for Kokoma in the Northwoods League in 2022, posting three saves and 36 strikeouts in 25.2 innings. In 2023, he spent six games with Yarmouth-Dennis (Cape Cod League) and struck out 23 batters with three walks in 14.2 innings of work. Garcia played at Sonora High School and hit .342 with 10 RBI and 19 runs scored as a senior. That season he appeared in 13 games and was 11-0 with a 0.79 ERA.
Garcia joins Zach Kirby and Andrew Herbert, who combine to compose Washington’s under-contract staff for 2026. More announcements are on the way next week with the option deadline also approaching for the Frontier League December 15, 2025.
The Washington Wild Things will open their 24th season of professional baseball and 23rd in the Frontier League on May 7, 2026, with the homer opener scheduled for Friday, May 15 against the Schaumburg Boomers at EQT Park. For updates, season ticket membership information and more, visit washingtonwildthings.com or follow the team on social media at facebook.com/WashingtonWildThings or @WashWildThings on other platforms.
