[1] At an early age García was dubbed Camaleón by his family, and he carried this nickname throughout his professional career, which spanned 22 years.

Despite his short, stocky build, he was a gifted athlete and knew more about baseball than his playmates, so he became the natural leader in pickup games and later in school.

Owner of a strong throwing arm, he had good range, being able to catch fly balls from his left field and infield teammates, making everything look easy.

[4] This season also marked the professional debut of Hank Aaron, who hit .336 (116-for-345) with nine homers and amassed 170 total bases in 87 games for the Eau Claire Bears.

[4] García opened 1953 with the Tampa Smokers of the Florida International League, appearing for them in 81 games before being traded to the Chicago White Sox.

Discouraged for a time, García persevered, playing two solid but unspectacular seasons for the Havana Sugar Kings of the International League, by then a Triple A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.

[7] In a 10-season career he posted a .322 average with 171 home runs and 759 RBI in 1,124 games, while collecting 1,346 hits and a .507 slugging percentage, establishing himself as one of the most prolific hitters in Mexican baseball history.

[8] As third baseman/manager for Poza Rica, García led all players at his position in fielding percentage in 1958 and 1961, and managed the team to an 84–62 record in 1959 to win the Mexican League pennant.

Following his minor league debut with the Concord Nationals, the 19-year-old Camaleón García would play in 12 of his 22 professional seasons with the Navegantes del Magallanes.

Nervous in his first appearance, due to the historic rivalry between the two teams, he had to face Alejandro Carrasquel; a 37-year-old veteran and former Washington Senators pitcher, as well as the first Venezuelan player to wear a major league uniform.

The young García went 2-for-4 against Carrasquel and recorded an RBI in the 5–2 victory over Caracas, quickly gaining the trust of Magallanes manager Lázaro Salazar, who gave him a place in the starting lineup as everyday third baseman.

[12] He earned VPBL Rookie of the Year honors in his first season, while Magallanes won its first pennant in the league and represented Venezuela in the 1950 Caribbean Series.

[13] Notably, García faced though pitching in the early going with the likes of Babe Birrer, José Bracho, Dick Starr, Sandy Ullrich, Roy Welmaker and Lenny Yochim, for name a few.

[14] Nevertheless, he delivered rewarding results in the years to come, earning respect as a dangerous hitter with runners in scoring position, particularly during the late innings.

García helped his team with a .296 average (53-for-179), slugged .380, and collected six doubles, three triples and one homer, driving in 31 runs while scoring 22 times.

Besides, teammate Norman Cash batted .360, and was the leader in RBI (11), home runs (2) and slugging (.680), being named Most Valuable Player of the Series.

The top hurler was Babe Birrer, who led all pitchers in wins (2-0), strikeouts (18) and ERA (1.25), including a 13-inning complete game victory.

[14] Then, he moved temporarily to the Rapiños de Occidente of the neighbor Zulian League for the rest of the season, hitting a paltry .246 with three homers and six RBI in 15 games.

[14] The Rapiños, who claimed the league's championship, were invited to participate in the 1960 Caribbean Series to compensate for the absence of the VPBL representative team.

[11] As a result, García was limited for the second time in his last four seasons, appearing in 32 games, and hitting .309 with seven doubles, one homer, 16 RBI and nine runs scored.

The Estrellas hired George Genovese as their manager, and the roster included solid players as Steve Bailey, Carl Boles, Eli Grba, Jack Hiatt, Aaron Pointer and Dick Simpson.

Magallanes retained the services of some Orientales players as Chico Carrasquel, José Bracho, Látigo Chávez, Oswaldo Blanco and, of course, Camaleón García.

After a 2-1 start, the team lost 13 straight games and he was replaced by the veteran infielder Carrasquel, who also had managed the Indios and Orientales in the previous seasons.

[20] Then, after being dismissed, the future Hall of Fame manager defended himself in a press conference, arguing that the club was badly organised, for having players that never played together before.

In comparison, García claimed the batting crown with a fabulous .394 average in 49 of the 50 games of his team, hitting 65-for-165 with five doubles, four homers, 14 runs and 30 RBI, while collecting 82 total bases for a third-best .497 slugging,[14] behind Caracas teammates Ken Harrelson (.557) and Pete Rose (.503).

Nevertheless, Camaleón García collected more than 3,100 hits along the way in the many baseball circuits he played, not including VPBL postseason games and Caribbean Series appearances.

Following his retirement, García enjoyed spending time with his family and eventually going to the ballparks, where he shared countless anecdotes with broadcasters, journalists, and baseball people.

He also collaborated with the Criollitos de Venezuela, a local little league corporation that operates not only as a baseball academy but as a means of integral formation of children and adolescents through sport.