Willy Garcia’s baseball journey has come to an end.
The former White Sox outfielder announced his retirement Wednesday, Aug. 12, in an Instagram post, closing the book on a 15-year professional career that stretched from the Pittsburgh Pirates organization to a brief but memorable run in Chicago. Garcia, 33, last appeared in the 2024-25 Nicaraguan Winter League season, according to Baseball Reference.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank all the organizations that trusted in my talent during these 16 years of my wonderful career, but the time has come for me to retire,” Garcia wrote in Spanish. “Thank you to all my family, friends, and teammates for these amazing years.
Now it’s time to help the children and to teach everything I’ve learned. Thank you, God, for my beautiful career.”
Garcia began his pro career with Pittsburgh after signing as an amateur out of the Dominican Republic. He spent his first seven seasons in that system from 2010-16 before the White Sox claimed him off waivers in January 2017.
Chicago kept him in Triple-A for the third straight season, but Garcia forced the issue early. He got off to a blistering start, hitting .423 with two home runs in his first seven games, and that hot stretch quickly pushed him to the majors.
When Garcia made his MLB debut on April 14, 2017, it came with a little piece of White Sox trivia attached. Chicago’s outfield that day featured three players all named Garcia: Avisail Garcia in right field, Leury Garcia in center and Willy Garcia in left. Avisail batted fifth against the Minnesota Twins, Leury hit seventh and Willy hit ninth.
Garcia’s only big league season included 119 plate appearances, and he finished with a .238/.305/.400 slash line while seeing action at all three outfield spots.
After the White Sox released him in March 2018, Garcia never signed with another affiliated club. He kept playing in Caribbean leagues and with independent teams in North America, including the Atlantic League’s Charleston (W.V.) Dirty Birds in 2024, where he hit .169 in 22 games.
Garcia’s retirement makes him the second member of the 2017 White Sox to step away from the game this week, joining shortstop Tim Anderson.
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