Jon Garland

Garland and his two sisters Kim and Kerrie Garland were raised in Granada Hills, Los Angeles, by their mother, Vikki, after she divorced their father when Garland was young. Garland played baseball at John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills. As a senior, he was named a preseason All-American by Baseball America. He was also named to the 1997 All-America First Team by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings. Garland committed to play college baseball for the USC Trojans. Garland was selected by the Chicago Cubs with the tenth pick of the 1997 Major League Baseball draft and signed for $1.325 million. He pitched in 10 games for the rookie-level Arizona League Cubs with a 3–2 record and a 2.70 ERA to finish the season. He began 1998 with the Single-A Rockford Cubbies.