Garvin Alston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Garvin Alston |
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Alston with the Kane County Cougars in 2006
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| San Francisco Giants – No. 81 | |||
| Pitcher / Coach | |||
| Born: December 8, 1971 Mount Vernon, New York, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| June 6, 1996, for the Colorado Rockies | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| June 18, 1996, for the Colorado Rockies | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 1–0 | ||
| Earned run average | 9.00 | ||
| Strikeouts | 5 | ||
| CPBL statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 1–0 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.18 | ||
| Strikeouts | 21 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As coach
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Garvin James Alston Sr. (born December 8, 1971) is an American former professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies in 1996. After he stopped playing, he became a coach. He used to be the pitching coach for the Minnesota Twins. Today, he is the bullpen coach for the San Francisco Giants.
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Garvin Alston's Early Life and Amateur Career
Garvin Alston played baseball at Mount Vernon High School in Mount Vernon, New York. In his senior year, on April 25, 1989, he threw a no-hitter. This was the first no-hitter for his school since 1979. Alston looked up to Roy Smith, who had thrown the earlier no-hitter. He hoped to follow in Smith's footsteps to the Major Leagues.
High School Achievements
Alston was also a great hitter in high school. He had a .439 batting average during his senior year. He was chosen for the All-Westchester County First Team as a relief pitcher. After high school, he played for the Bayside Yankees in a special baseball series.
College Baseball Journey
Alston started his college baseball career in 1990 at Mercy College. As a freshman, he was named Rookie of the Year. He also played in an All-Star game at Yankee Stadium. In his second year, he was named a Division II All-American. Over two seasons at Mercy, Alston had a good earned run average (ERA) of 2.84.
He also played summer baseball for the Brewster Whitecaps in 1990 and 1991. He was named an All-Star in that league in 1991. Later, he moved to Florida International for his third college season. In 1991, he tried out for the United States national baseball team for the 1992 Summer Olympics. He did not make the team, but it was a great experience.
Garvin Alston's Professional Baseball Career
The Colorado Rockies picked Garvin Alston in the 10th round of the 1992 Major League Baseball draft. This was the Rockies' first year in the draft. Alston was excited because he thought the new team would help players reach the Major Leagues quickly.
Starting in the Minor Leagues
Alston began his professional career with the Bend Rockies. He found it a bit hard to adjust to life in rural Oregon at first. But he quickly made friends with his teammates. In his first season, he started twelve games and only gave up one home run.
The next year, he moved up to a higher league. His performance was not as strong, but he kept working hard. In 1994, he struggled as a starting pitcher. However, when the Rockies started using him as a closer, his confidence came back. This success led to him being promoted to the Double-A New Haven Ravens.
Reaching Major League Baseball
In late 1994, Alston was added to the Colorado Rockies' 40-man roster. This meant he was closer to playing in the Major Leagues. He was even part of the Major League Baseball Players Association.
In 1995, the Rockies told Alston he would be on the team's roster for Opening Day. But he was sent back to Double-A before playing a game. He spent the rest of that season playing well as a relief pitcher.
MLB Debut and Beyond
In 1996, Alston started the season in Triple-A. By June, he was pitching very well. On June 5, 1996, he was called up to the Major League team. He made his MLB debut the next night against the Houston Astros. He pitched in relief and later earned his first pitching win on June 11.
His last Major League game was on June 18, 1996. He was later sent back to Triple-A. Alston hoped to become the Rockies' closer in 1997. However, he had elbow surgery and missed the entire season. He returned to pitching in 1998 but struggled.
Playing in Taiwan and Independent Leagues
In 1999, Alston pitched in Taiwan for the Wei Chuan Dragons. He later signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers and played in their minor league system. He also played for the Kansas City Royals organization.
In 2003, Alston played in an independent league called the Canadian Baseball League (CBL). He still hoped to return to the Major Leagues. However, the CBL stopped playing mid-season, and Alston did not play professional baseball again. Looking back, Alston said playing baseball was "everything I dreamt of."
Garvin Alston's Coaching Career
After his playing career, Garvin Alston became a baseball coach. He coached in the Oakland Athletics organization from 2005 to 2015. He worked as a pitching coach for minor league teams. He also helped coordinate pitching for all the minor league teams.
Major League Coaching Roles
In 2016, the Arizona Diamondbacks hired Alston as their bullpen coach. A bullpen coach helps the relief pitchers. In 2017, he returned to the Athletics as their major league bullpen coach.
Alston then became the pitching coach for the Minnesota Twins in 2018. He helped improve pitchers like Ryan Pressly. In 2021, he became the pitching coach for the Sacramento River Cats. On November 14, 2023, the San Francisco Giants hired Alston to be their bullpen coach.
Garvin Alston's Personal Life
Garvin Alston's wife, Natasha, also went to Mount Vernon High School.
Alston's son, Garvin Alston Jr., was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 2015 and 2019. He played college baseball before joining the White Sox organization. Garvin Alston is also the cousin of former Major League Baseball outfielder Dell Alston.
