Hansel Robles, Luís Garcia at forefront of Angels push for success

By Johnny Flores Jr.

ANAHEIM – Now that he’s with the Angels, Hansel Robles is attempting to morph into the relief pitcher many hoped he would become when he was with the Mets organization.

The righthanded native of the Dominican Republic has at least captivated the public’s attention this season as a viral sensation. He gained viral fame earlier this year with his walkout entrance video, which features a white horse galloping, candles burning and rose petals falling.

The video is set to WWE superstar the Undertaker’s entrance music, and it’s every bit as incredible as you would imagine. The video is not only extremely unique, but it also deeply personal for Robles.

The white horse is a direct representation of Robles’ nickname, “El caballo blanco.” The Undertaker’s entrance music is a nod to Robles’ longtime devotion to the legendary pro wrestler. As for the candles?

“It’s always burning,” Robles told local media.

However, Robles is more than just a pitcher trying to earn his place within a bullpen or the guy with a viral entrance. He is also dedicated to supporting charities and foundations within the Dominican Republic.

Prior to spring training, Robles volunteered at Nelson Cruz’s youth baseball clinic in Las Matas de Santa Cruz, a city situated within the Monte Cristi province of the Dominican Republic and a few hours away from his birthplace of Bonao.

Robles was one of several native Dominican peloteros who participated in the event in support of the Minnesota Twins slugger’s Boomstick23 Foundation. Jean Segura of the Phillies and Miguel Andújar of the Yankees also participated in the clinic along with Juan Soto, Joaquin Benoit and Robinson Canó.

The peleteros helped teach baseball fundamentals. It was one of many events that Cruz held throughout the winter in support of his home country.

“We are always supporting,” Robles said. “First of all, thank you to God for me being here. We’re always supporting our brother Nelson and giving him support in everything he needs and his activities.

“He had a clinic and he invited me. Thank you to God for having me here and I came to support the children.”

Luís Garcia, another righthanded reliever from the Dominican Republic, also has made his presence felt this season with the Angels after playing elsewhere.

Garcia may not celebrate the Undertaker, but he definitely revived his career from the dead, so to speak.

A return back to baseball

Garcia, 32, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as an international free agent in 2004. He spent several years within the organization, working his way up from the Dominican Summer League. He was traded to the Washington Nationals in 2009 for Ronnie Belliard.

He played only one and a half seasons in the Nationals’ farm system before leaving baseball altogether in 2010. He was disappointed because he was struggling that season, posting a 10.38 ERA over six relief appearances and 8 ⅔ innings at Class A Potomac after posting a 4-4 record and 3.88 ERA over 26 appearances at low Class A Hagerstown.

At 23, he essentially decided that baseball wasn’t for him anymore. He initially returned to the Dominican Republic, but he returned to the United States to settle into a new life in New Jersey.

“I’m going to the U.S. [to] have a normal life, have a normal job,” he remembers telling himself. He was a barber during the day. Then at night he was a warehouse laborer. Garcia’s big league dreams were effectively over.

“I had to wake up a 4 in the morning, and I would get home at 12 or 1 in the morning and then have to wake up again,” Garcia said of his split roles in 2015.

When there was time he would participate in independent league games or practice with neighboring children. “I would practice myself and I would help practice with the children until the opportunity came,” Garcia continued.

But Garcia received a second chance when Philadelphia Phillies director of international scouting Sal Agostinelli caught wind of a man who could pump 94 mph fastballs and throw a wicked slider. He also pitched for Newark in the independent Canadian-American Association.

“It’s literally one of those things as a scout that you dream about,” Agostinelli said of finding Garcia.

Garcia signed as a free agent and was assigned to the minors in 2013. In less than three months, Garcia made his way from Class-A all the way to the major leagues where he remained as a constant in the Phillies’ bullpen.

“This kid is a really, really humble, nice kid,” Agostinelli said of Garcia when he was promoted. “He’s very grounded. He’s a person that deserves this opportunity.”

But much like Robles, Garcia did not morph into the high strikeout machine that turned a potential career as a barber into a spot in the majors. His performance was also characterized as “inconsistent.”

Garcia’s 2017 season featured a 2.65 ERA in 71 1/3 innings across 66 games. He followed his career-best season with a clunker in 2018. His ERA ballooned to 6.07 in 46 innings pitched, having allowed 31 runs to score on 49 hits. Despite the underperformance, the Angels saw promise as Garcia had a 10 K/9 and a 3.51 FIP. A performance they hope carries over through the 2019 season.

While Garcia now doesn’t have to worry about waking up at 4:00 a.m. to move stuff in a warehouse, he does not forget about the hardships on the way to achieving his big league dreams.

He learned some valuable lessons during those two years where life in MLB seemed like a longshot.

Garcia’s and Robles’ paths converge with a label of inconsistency due to on-and-off success. Yet, they have been brought into a regularly inconsistent Angels team to bring consistency.

Despite logging 34 wins across 632 innings pitched last season, the Angels finished with a bullpen ranked 22nd in the league, per FanGraphs.

Blowing late games and early holds helped push a promising Angels team into fourth place in the AL West and out of the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. They were 17 games out of the wild-card spot and 23 behind the AL West-leading Astros.

The Angels had to make a change in their bullpen if they expected to compete in the AL West. So, the team signed Cody Allen to a one- year $8.5 million deal to be their primary closer and added García and Robles.

In early December, the team sent left-hander José Álvarez to the Phillies for García. Robles was previously claimed via waivers via the New York Mets last June.

The two native Dominicans have proved to be incredibly versatile for the Angels thus far while rarely forgetting the hardships they have endured to get to this point.

Whether it is by giving back or using lessons learned as motivation, they understand the meaning of hard work. They have used these lessons to help push their new ballclub forward.

Featured Image: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Getty Images Sport