Porter's Garcia named MVP

Henry Garcia revealed just how private he really is. The pitcher has kept somewhat of a secret from his Brownsville Porter teammates and coaches.

Garcia likes to draw in his free time and is good at it. He said most people don't know about his hobby because he rarely talks about himself.

Even when talking about his Monitor All-Valley MVP season, Garcia doesn't reveal much other than his teammates contributed immensely to the season he had.

"I like to draw, and I have never told anyone about that," Garcia said. "I even have some of my drawings up at the (Brownsville Historical Museum). I'm actually good at it. It is just something I do on the side. I don't think it is something I'll make money off of."

Porter coach Tony Barbosa was surprised to learn his standout pitcher was a drawer.

"I did not know that," Barbosa said. "I am going to have to ask Henry about it the next time I see him. We have to tell him to stick with it so he could be an architect or something."

Barbosa also thinks Garcia's can go far in baseball. The lefty will attend Division I Texas A&M-Corpus Christi next season after a solid senior campaign in which he recorded a minute 0.47 ERA and struck out 153. He was 8-2 and walked only nine in 73 innings pitched.

"I think you have to give him a couple of years, let him get his feet wet as a freshman," Barbosa said. "I think he will eventually become the dominate pitcher he was for us in Corpus.

"He has very good control, especially for being a left-hander. I think if he doesn't develop, it will be a disappointment because he has what it takes."

Garcia said finding his way to the majors is his ultimate goal.

"I am really anxious," the senior said about Corpus. "I have a chance at starting. I hope this can lead to me getting drafted. It has always been a dream of mine."

Garcia, who was also named the District 32-5A MVP, said he couldn't have drawn up a better season.

"I was pretty impressed when I saw my numbers," he said. "I worked really hard in the offseason because I wanted to be better than the year before."

Peter Rasmussen covers high school baseball for The Monitor. You can reach at him at (956) 683-4448.