Baltimore Orioles: RP Rico Garcia
2026 Season Stats: 26 G, 24.1 IP, 0.74 ERA, 10.3 BB%, 32.2 K%, 1.6 WAR
Like the Red Sox, the Orioles have also had an extremely disappointing start to the season. The teams’ pitching staff, which was expected to improve this season, is the fifth-worst in the league in ERA. One of the lone bright spots on the pitching staff has been 32-year-old breakout journeyman Rico Garcia. He has been on seven teams in his career and hasn’t had much success until this year, when he has turned into one of the best relievers in the entire league.
Similar to Varland, Garcia leads his entire team in WAR (1.6), meaning he has been the most impactful player on the team. He has the fifth-lowest ERA in the league for a reliever (0.74) and has the 10th-highest strikeout rate (32.2%). Garcia also refuses to allow hits. He has only given up 7 in his 24 innings of work, giving him the lowest batting average against by any reliever (.090). Garcia has come out of nowhere after bouncing around the league, being cut by multiple teams, and has become one of the best relievers in the game. Without him, the Orioles’ already bad pitching would have been even worse.
