Robel Garcia

Robel García is a professional baseball infielder from the Dominican Republic who has played for both Chicago cubs and the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). At one point considered an underdog to make the major league roster, he was signed to the Cubs after he impressed scout Gabe Zappin whilst playing for the Italian national team. A citizen of both Dominican Republic and Italy, he played for the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Series in 2021.

Born in Las Matas de Farfán, Dominican Republic, García was signed as an international free agent with the Cleveland Indians when he was 16 years old. Despite being a promising young talent, García was released by the Indians on his 21st birthday. Still determined to follow his dream, he moved to Verona in Italy with his wife and children in 2016 and began to play independent baseball there, joining the Italian Baseball League’s Fortitudo Bologna a year later. In 2018 he signed for UnipolSai Bologna and was also named in the Italian national baseball team that competed in the Super 6 Baseball Tournament that year.

After being spotted by the Cubs playing for Italy in an exhibition series, García signed a minor league deal in November 2018 and he was promoted to the major leagues the following year. In February 2021 he joined MLB team Houston Astros.