Local Product David Garner Returns Home

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - When right-handed pitcher David Garner was a sports-loving youngster, he often made the short 25-minute trip to downtown South Bend to watch the then-Silver Hawks play.

He'd watch a certain South Bend outfielder buzz around the turf at Coveleski Stadium and thrill the crowd with a few front flips.

It wasn't until his high-school years at nearby Niles High that Garner realized he was watching uber-prospect Justin Upton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft by Arizona, patrol the outfield for South Bend in 2006.

"I had no clue who he was then but I put two and two together in high school and was like, "Well, that was Justin Upton back then,'" Garner said.

Now it's Garner, suiting up for his hometown team. The 22-year old was added to South Bend's roster from extended spring training in Mesa, Arizona, on Sunday, and made his season debut in relief in Monday's win over Great Lakes. Born and raised in Niles, Michigan, a small city north of South Bend, Garner starred for the Vikings before embarking on a three-year career at Michigan State, where he became the Spartans' highest-drafted player since 2002. Chicago tabbed Garner with its seventh-round pick in 2013, and Garner made 20 relief appearances between short-season Boise and Kane County in 2014. But Garner started slowly at spring training last month and was held in Arizona for more work.

He calls them setbacks - mentally, with his attitude.

"I wouldn't say I wasn't happy to be there, but I just had a slow start, had a couple outings that were just not good, didn't really give them a reason to move me up or not keep me there," Garner said.

Garner had a long conversation with Chicago's Minor League Pitching Coordinator, Derek Johnson. Garner was told, in no uncertain terms, there's only so much the staff could do. The ball was in his court. He had to want it more than the staff wanted it for him.

"I just took that to heart and didn't want it to be too late and look back and have any regrets," Garner said.

A few weeks later this past Saturday, Garner was settling in for a haircut in sunny Arizona when he received a text message from Cubs Director of Player Development Jaron Madison. After asking how things were going - "he kind of set me up," Garner quipped - Madison told Garner his development would continue - in South Bend.

A beaming Garner called his mother to share the news and line up a ride from the airport. He's living at home, saving rent money, after all.

"She might have called me a minute later and said, 'I forgot everything you said. I was so excited I could barely drive right now,'" Garner recalled.

Garner's mother was in attendance cheering loudly - "if you didn't see her, you heard her," Garner smiled - as her son toed the rubber at Four Winds Field on Monday. With a runner at second and two outs in the sixth, the 5-foot-11, 180-pounder relieved Cubs starter Ryan Williams. Garner induced a soft lineout back his way to end the threat, and the righty tossed a scoreless seventh, as well.

It was and still is a homecoming for Garner. But he knows baseball is a business.

"It's excitement. It's fun," Garner said. "But then again, I gotta realize, hey I'm not here to be home. I've actually got a job."

Of Garner's 15 pitches, 10 were strikes, an encouraging sign for a pitcher whose primary focus has been command. He's worked on being quicker with his arm in his backswing and employed other mechanical adjustments. But when it comes to finding the plate, Garner has a simple strategy, too.

"Just go out there and throw and look at it how it used to be when I was in the backyard and in the street - just have fun with it," Garner said.

Just like his childhood days.