Tribe clubhouse: Garko a star in the making

With the 2006 Indians all but out of contention, the club dealt away some of its veteran talent and made room for some fresh young faces. One of those was husky catcher-turned-first baseman Ryan Garko, who had been quietly putting outstanding numbers at the minor leagues for a few years. In 2005 at AAA Buffalo, Garko batted .303 with 19 HR and 77 RBI in 127 games, and he was poise to see regular action with the Tribe in the end of 2006.

He did not disappoint; in 50 games, Garko hit an admirable .292 with 7 HR and 45 RBI. The RBI total really got the Indians hooked on Garko; they knew he could hit, but the way he drove in runs made him an attractive option at first base the next season.

But with Trot Nixon set to play right field the next season and Casey Blake pushed to first base, the Indians wanted to give Andy Marte, who was acquired in a deal before 2006 that sent Coco Crisp to the Red Sox, the starting job at third base. They had been high on his potential, especially for power, for a long time. At AAA Richmond, the Braves' minor league affiliate, Marte hit 20 home runs in 109 games in 2005.

To start the season, Garko did not see much time. But Marte struggled and struggled at the plate, swinging at bad pitches and getting fooled. He looked uncomfortable. The Tribe still kept their faith in him, but to no avail. He then suffered a tweaked hamstring while running out a ground ball in Tampa Bay on April 22, putting him onto the disabled list. Blake would have to be moved back to third, opening up an everyday job for Ryan Garko. However, When Andy Marte returned from the disabled list, the Indians wanted to put him back at third base every day and have Blake as the everyday first baseman, returning Garko to a spot starting role.

And Garko gave the Indians a reason to consider the possibility of keeping him an everyday player. From the time Marte was injured until he returned from the disabled list on May 18, Garko was fantastic, posting a .329 average and hitting four home runs. With Andy Marte struggling on his rehab assignment at AAA Buffalo, the Indians elected to keep Garko as the everyday first baseman and put Marte into a platoon role at third base, with Casey Blake playing third against right-handers, and Marte playing there against lefties with Blake playing in right field for Trot Nixon. But Marte continued to struggle, and the Indians wanted to see him play everyday, so they decided to exercise their last option year on him, and they sent him to Buffalo.

And Garko has continued to dazzle people. In fact, he's somewhat like Travis Hafner in that he has good plate discipline and awesome bat control. He puts good swings on the ball and is a pure line drive hitter. While he does not have as much power as Hafner, Garko makes up for it with his keen ability to get hits when behind in the count. Similar to Hafner, with two strikes, Garko is a deadly hitter who is not afraid to cut down his swing to make contact and put the ball in play; he works counts and chokes up on the bat to increase his chances of making contact. In fact, with two strikes this year, Garko is among the best in the game, batting .291. The American League average: .194.

Garko has also gotten some clutch hits for the Tribe. The most notable of these came against Tampa Bay the very day Andy Marte got injured. In the top of the ninth inning with the Tribe trailing the Rays 4-3 and two men on base, Garko had two strikes, and he again cut down his swing to make good solid contact. On the next pitch, not only did he make contact, but he got enough of it to hit a high fastball for a home run to left field, fueling the Indians to a 6-4 triumph over the Devil Rays. The very next night, Garko got another game-winning hit in the top of the ninth inning with an RBI single to give the Indians a 4-3 victory.

The successes continued for Garko, and in Andy Marte's absence he enjoyed perhaps the best May of any Tribesman. He batted .385 (37-96) with 5 HR and 16 RBI and a .625 SLG, and he had twelve multi-hit games. After Friday's game he is ranked 5th in the American League with a .346 average.

The only concern with Garko has been his defense; after all, he is new to first base. Last year, in 45 games at first base, Garko committed six errors. However, this year, he is becoming more accustomed to the position, and he has only committed two errors to date in 42 games at first base. He will continue to make some mistakes as he adjusts to the position. But his progress has certainly surprised many in the Indians organization, and his bat is too precious to remove from the lineup due to bad defense, especially considering how much he's improved.

All I can say is that Garko knows how to hit, and if he's available in your fantasy league, you may want to pick him up while he is this hot. While it's hard for anyone to maintain a .340+ average, Garko is definitely a bona fide .300 hitter with decent power and great bat control, so he will likely finish the season around the .300 mark. Though nobody outside of Cleveland knows who he is, they soon will, as Garko is a star in the making.