Cleveland Indians Sign Karim Garcia

Friday, December 22nd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

CLEVELAND (AP) â€” The Cleveland Indians signed former minor league player of the year Karim Garcia to a minor league contract Friday with an invitation to the club's major league training camp.

Garcia, 25, started last season with Detroit but was traded June 12 to Baltimore. He had brief stints with both major league clubs but spent most of the season playing for their Triple A-level teams.

After a September call up to the Orioles, Garcia finished the season 3 of 33 in 16 games at the major league level in 2000.

Garcia has a six-year major league career average of .217 with 24 homers and 83 RBIs in 254 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Tigers and Orioles. The Sporting News selected him the 1995 minor league player of the year after he hit .319 for Triple A Albuquerque, a Dodgers farm club.