BRADENTON, Fla. -- Jhostynxon Garcia is pronounced just like it’s spelled. Promise.
But practice the name just in case, so it can roll effortlessly off the tongue once the 23-year-old outfielder earns his place on the Pirates’ roster.
If it’s easier, Garcia has also accepted that a lot of people will probably use his nickname -- The Password -- at least for now. The name was born from a social media interaction during which someone said Garcia’s first name looked like the jumble of letters contained in a password. The easygoing Garcia didn’t mind the moniker, and it’s even more appropriate now as one of the newest Pirates works to
… open his chapter in Pittsburgh?
… unlock the Bucs’ roster?
You get the point.
“I think that we talk about another young, exciting guy that we were able to add,” manager Don Kelly said, “and the impact and the ceiling he has is really high.”
Kidding aside, the addition of Garcia -- who cracked last season’s MLB Top 100 Prospects list at No. 85 and is currently ranked No. 6 in the Pirates' system -- provides the Bucs with a power bat and a versatile outfielder. He’s most comfortable in center, but he is also a solid defender at either corner spot and has the arm strength to handle right, if necessary.
He also arrived at camp early and began workouts long before Monday’s mandatory report date, using the extra time to acclimate, meet his new teammates and log reps on defense and in the batter’s box before the Spring Training noise descends on Pirate City.
“We played against each other a lot, so I was around him a lot, and I got to know him. … He's super cool,” said Rafael Flores Jr., the Pirates' No. 9 prospect whose clubhouse locker is next to Garcia’s. “I feel like we were in the same boat. [When] you get traded, you don't really know anybody, so if I could be that bridge for him to kind of feel comfortable and feel good around the guys, I wanted to be that person for him.”
Friday found Garcia and incumbent center fielder Oneil Cruz going full-tilt while shagging flies from live BP.
“He's getting really good jumps,” Kelly said. “There's speed there, and we see the power.”
Garcia, who came over from the Red Sox along with righty Jesus Travieso in the Johan Oviedo trade this December, realizes the opportunity in front of him. Though he did make his MLB debut with Boston as an injury replacement in August, there is quite a logjam in the Red Sox’s outfield and not much room for Garcia, who played just five MLB games across two callups in 2025.
Pittsburgh represents a breath of fresh air, and he is determined to run with it.
“I'm grateful to be here,” Garcia said via assistant coach and interpreter Stephen Morales. “The opportunity here looks like it's better. … Coming here, I feel like I really have a chance, an opportunity to make the team, and I'm really grateful for it.”
Garcia gives the Pirates more options in an outfield mix that includes Cruz, Bryan Reynolds, Jack Suwinski and newcomers Jake Mangum and Ryan O’Hearn. Cruz and Reynolds are a lock to make the roster, and Monday’s news that the club agreed with Marcell Ozuna will likely push O’Hearn out of the first base/designated hitter role and onto the grass as well.
Mangum had six Outs Above Average, errorless defense and 27 steals in 2025, and Suwinski has four seasons under his belt and is out of Minor League options, so Garcia will need to make a decent splash this spring to break camp.
“The main thing I'm working on this spring, hitting-wise, is swing decisions,” said Garcia, who had 75 RBIs and 21 homers in 114 games between Double-A and Triple-A last season but also struck out 131 times against just 45 walks.
He’s taken his newest assignment to heart so far, stepping in the box on Friday for a live BP session against Pittsburgh ace Paul Skenes. Battling one of baseball’s best pitchers is no small task, but doing so also gives Garcia early practice addressing his biggest challenge: Lowering his strikeout rate, which jumped to 26.8 percent last season.
“Being in the big leagues last year definitely gave me a lot of confidence,” he said. “And it helps coming in this year. It gives me more experience, and knowing how the level of play is up there.”
If Garcia can hone his offense, he’ll force a conversation that involves him breaking camp with the Bucs. If he does that, “Jhostynxon” could soon be a household name in Pittsburgh.
It’s pronounced YOHS-tin-sohn, by the way. He’s hoping you’ll have many chances to say it this season.