The Seattle Mariners have surged this season, and fell one game short of their first World Series appearance in the franchise’s history. The team has been riding a wave of momentum that began at the 2025 trade deadline.

In one of the most aggressive moves of the season, Seattle acquired two power bats from the Arizona Diamondbacks, instantly transforming its offense into the most explosive unit in baseball over the final two months. Of course, as any trade does, it came with a pretty hefty cost.

The Mariners gave up the No. 1 pitcher in their system, a 2024 Mariner Minor League Pitcher of the Year and a 2024 AA Pitcher of the Month. One of the highest touted prospects thanks to his electric arm and nasty secondary pitches.

Oh, and most importantly? A Quinnipiac Bobcat for life.

Meet Brandyn Garcia.

Garcia was a Bobcat from 2020-22, playing baseball with the only Division I team that gave him an opportunity.

“I love Quinnipiac,” Garcia said. “Those are the years that I grew up as a man and a baseball player. All the guys I played with on that team are brothers. The school means so much (to me).”

While he held an earned run average over seven, the raw talent was undeniable, matched with a bazooka for a left arm, making him one of the most electric pitchers in Bobcats history. Seattle saw the same thing, and used the 337th pick of the 2023 MLB Draft to take Garcia.

“The Mariners are massive on this. They take chances on players that maybe they didn’t do well in college,” Garcia said. “Once you get to pro ball it’s a big difference. You get there and they don’t care about ERA.”

The Mariners struck gold with their draft choice of Garcia, as he quickly turned into a nightmare for batters in the AA and AAA levels. The 2024 Northwoods League All-Star managed an ERA of 1.42 in the Mariners minor league system.

His pro career didn’t start the way Garcia might’ve wanted it to. In just his second appearance after the trade deadline, he gave up three runs on four hits, while retiring one batter in a contest against the Detroit Tigers.

“That was definitely hard with the confidence… but the Diamondbacks were really good about my plan,” Garcia said. “They sent me down to get better and get back up so that kept me from spiraling.”

Whatever plan Arizona gave him has certainly worked out. Garcia rejoined the MLB roster about a month later, and the surging lefty used his 98+ MPH sinker and devastating sweeper to strike out notable hitters like Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman in his 2.2 innings of scoreless baseball against the Dodgers.

The pitcher then wielded scoreless outings in eight of his next nine appearances, giving the Diamondbacks confidence in their star as he worked his ERA to under four.

“Facing the whole Dodgers lineup was really cool,” Garcia said. “I really want to face the Yankees, they’re just one of those teams.”

In 2024, Garcia was named the Seattle Mariners’ Jamie Moyer Pitcher of the Year. The numbers somehow don’t come close to reflecting his dominance, but they’re still incredible. He led all A and AA arms with a 6-2 record and a 2.25 ERA, all while striking out 134 batters in 27 appearances. According to the MLB Pipeline, Garcia was the most improved player in the Mariners organization.

“That was a really amazing experience, they made it more than just winning an award,” Garcia said. “My family got to go out for that.”

He recognizes all of the sacrifices his family made, too, and he will never forget draft day, sitting with his mom and his sister waiting for the call.

“It was an experience that was awesome, my mom and my sister were going crazy,” Garcia said.

Three years ago, Garcia was pitching for a relatively small school in the Northeast with a below average ERA. Fast forward and he’s living his childhood dream and pitching against some of the greatest hitters to ever pick up a baseball bat.

Garcia credits his success to his desire to succeed.

“It gave me a little bit of an advantage. It gave me an opportunity to compete,” Garcia said. “It gave me that sense of drive to go out and prove myself.”

During his time at Quinnipiac, Garcia held a spot in the starting rotation, but he hasn’t gotten a starting opportunity in the MLB yet. Garcia doesn’t mind, however, and he’s got his sights set on the ultimate prize.

“I just want to win a World Series,” Garcia said. “I will do whatever helps the team out best.”

While his time at Quinnipiac may be done, Garcia is forever representing the Bobcats as he progresses through the major leagues.