Ryan Garko

Infobox MLB player
name = Ryan Garko


width = 250
caption =
team = Cleveland Indians
number = 25
position = First baseman
birthdate = birth date and age|1981|1|2
birthplace = city-state|Pittsburgh|Pennsylvania
bats = Right
throws = Right
debutdate = September 18
debutyear = 2005
debutteam = Cleveland Indians
statyear = September 26, 2008
stat1label = Batting average
stat1value = .281
stat2label = Home runs
stat2value = 42
stat3label = Runs batted in
stat3value = 195
teams =
*Cleveland Indians (by|2005–present)

Ryan Francis Garko (born January 2, 1981 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a first baseman for the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball.

Baseball career

Garko graduated from Servite High School in 1999 with a 4.0 grade point average alongside Indians teammate Ben Francisco. He is also a graduate of Stanford University, and was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Garko was selected as a catcher by Cleveland in the 3rd round (78th overall) of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft. After displaying superb batting skills at every level of the minors, Garko made his major league debut as a pinch-hitter on September 18, mlby|2005, against the Kansas City Royals. He struck out in his only at-bat of the game.

Garko was back in Cleveland the next season, called up on June 30, mlby|2006. He got his first major league hit and RBI before returning to the Indians' Triple-A minor league affiliate Buffalo Bisons. He was called up to Cleveland again on August 8 and played in the majority of the remaining games for the Indians, primarily at first base and often hitting in the clean-up (fourth) position in the batting order. He was a catcher in college and the minor leagues, but the Indians already have an All-Star at that position in Víctor Martínez and a capable back-up in Kelly Shoppach. Garko finished 2006 with a .292 batting average, 7 home runs and 45 RBI in just 50 games.

Garko was considered one of the Indians' top hitting prospects, but was not slated to play every day for Cleveland in mlby|2007. He made the team's 25-man roster out of spring training and they planned for him to split time at first base with Casey Blake and Martinez and at DH with Travis Hafner. However, Garko's playing time increased when the Indians first placed rookie third baseman Andy Marte on the 15-day disabled list on April 23. With Blake filling in for Marte at third, Garko became their primary first baseman. When Marte was sent to the minors on May 28, Garko's regular playing time was cemented.

In 2007, he had the lowest fielding percentage (.993) of all AL first basemen who qualified as a league leader [cite web | publisher = ESPN.com|title = MLB Player Fielding Stats: 2007 | url = http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/fielding?groupId=7&season=2007&seasonType=2&split=79&sortOrder=true&sortColumn=fieldingPct | accessdate = 2007-11-03] , though several other AL first basemen with 40 or more games at first had a lower fielding percentage. [cite web | publisher = MLB.com | title = Sortable Player Stats | url = http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/sortable_player_stats.jsp?c_id=mlb&section3=2&statSet3=1&sortByStat=FPCT&statType=3&timeFrame=1&timeSubFrame=2007&baseballScope=AL&prevPage3=1&readBoxes=true&sitSplit=&venueID=&subScope=pos&teamPosCode=3|accessdate = 2007-11-03] .On Sptember 26th, 2008, Garko had his 1st career grand slam and multi-homer game. He homered leading of the top of the first (solo)and in the top of the 5th, he drove in Jhonny Peralta, Shin-Soo Cho and Ben Francisco for the grand slam.

2007 American League Championship controversy

During the sixth game of the 2007 American League Championship series, Fox Sports reporter Chris Myers reported that a supposed quote from Garko was taped to the locker room door of the Boston Red Sox. The quote guaranteed an Indians win. Myers correctly reported the quote as posted was spurious [cite web | title = Fox report put spotlight on Garko, C-T columnist | publisher = Elyria Chronicle Telegram | date = 2007-10-22 | url = http://www.chroniclet.com/2007/10/22/fox-report-put-spotlight-on-garko-c-t-columnist/ | accessdate = 2007-11-03] . It was a blending of the words of an opinion columnist for the Elyria Chronicle Telegram with a real quote from Garko about clinching the 2007 American League Division Series [cite web | last = Petrak | first = Scott | title = Relax, this Tribe team won’t fail| publisher = Elyria Chronicle Telegram | date = 2007-10-19 | url = http://www.chroniclet.com/2007/10/19/scott-petrak-relax-this-tribe-team-wont-fail/ | accessdate = 2007-11-03]

Personal life

Garko is a big fan of Jim Rome and his widely popular radio program. He is a long-time listener and made his jungle debut in the 2007 season. He has been on the show multiple times since, including his trip in studio with teammates Ben Francisco, Joe Borowski, and CC Sabathia. He is also a friend of Sirius Satellite Radio's Mike & Murray Show (hosted by Bruce Murray and Mike Yam, on channel 123) where he has appeared every week during the mlby|2008 baseball season. Garko listed Alex Rodriguez, Travis Hafner, and Jon Stewart as the three people he'd most want to trade places with.

He is also a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Hafner bought him a "ghastly" pair of purple and gold Lakers shoes during 2008 spring training [MLB Article HBP http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080416&content_id=2535354&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb] . He likes to listen to music and to read. [Indians' Garko Bio http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/team/player_career.jsp?player_id=434939 ]

References

External links