Harold Garcia is a pure hitter. He has solid gap power, plays with a ton of energy, and takes the game seriously. 

He posted a .281 mark with five home runs and 32 RBIs in 55 games for the R-Phils last season — after breaking a 59-year-old Florida State League record by hitting safely in 37-straight games as a member of the Threshers earlier in the season.

This season, he was once again off to a solid start, as he was hitting .300 with two home runs, four RBIs and two steals through 12 games. Unfortunately, things changed last week.

On April 19 against the Erie SeaWolves at FirstEnergy Stadium, something happened. Garcia, who was 0-2 in the game at the time, came to the plate in the bottom of the fifth inning with Reading trailing Erie 4-2. The Venezuelan native dropped down a bunt and hustled to first base. He collided with Erie first baseman Michael Bertram, for what turned out to be more than just a single.

Garcia and Bertram went down in pain, but it was Garcia who took the brunt of the hit. He was helped off the field and would not return. It was the last game he appeared in. The injury proved to be significant, as the Phillies placed Garcia on the disabled list today with a torn ACL in his right knee. A tough break for a great individual.

If anyone could come back from an injury like this, it’s Garcia. His athleticism, his energy, and his strong work ethic are examples of someone who could come back from this.

From a team standpoint, the Reading Phillies will certainly miss his bat in the lineup. Fidel Hernandez, however, has filled in admirably. Hernandez is now batting .297 over 13 games. He is currently in the midst of a four-game hit streak and over that span, he has six hits. It remains to be seen if the injury will affect the R-Phils lineup — a lineup which leads the Eastern League in nearly every offensive category.