After being selected by the Minnesota Twins in the first round out of Fresno State in 2005, he zipped through the minor leagues, achieving tremendous success along the way. The 24-year-old was blessed with an electric fastball that complements the rest of his repertoire – curve ball, slider, change-up – effectively, when his command is on. In a remarkable season in 2006, one in which he jumped all the way from the Florida State League to the show in less than six months, he breezed through lower-level competition, dominating hitters at times. In 23 combined minor league starts – over stints at Fort Myers, Double-A New Britain, and Triple-A Rochester, Garza posted tremendous statistics, holding opposing hitters to a .179 average while going 14-4 with a 1.99 ERA and 156 strikeouts in 135.2 innings pitched. Eluding any form of struggles in the minors, he earned a rapid call-up to Minnesota at the end of the season, where he had to overcome adversity and failure for the first real time in his professional career. Immediately upon his promotion with the Twins, the lanky righty impressed several Twins’ coaches with his mid-90s fastball, but unlike during his tenure in the lower ranks, hitters feasted on Garza, batting .301 against him in 10 appearances, when he relied too heavily on his fastball in trouble situations.

Similar to a number of other flame-throwing young starting pitchers, Homer Bailey most notably, he constantly turns to his plus-fastball, failing to mix in enough off-speed pitches to get by against strong offensive players. Working through this problem, which frustrated the Twins’ baseball operations department mightily, he enjoyed frequent stretches of success in 2007, beginning the season in Triple-A before joining the Twins after the All-Star Break. In 16 starts before his second go-around in Minneapolis, he posted a 3.48 ERA and 1.35 WHIP, striking out 95 in 92.0 innings. Then, in the majors, he immediately provided help at the big-league level, tossing 15 scoreless innings after being recalled. Down the stretch, he won five games for Minnesota in 15 games started, suffering seven losses while registering a 3.69 ERA along the way. His struggles at the Metrodome (1-10, 5.91 ERA in 13 career appearances), however, is a cause for concern, especially considering his new domed-workplace, Tropicana Field.

Yet, by adding Garza, Tampa Bay solidifies its starting rotation headed into 2008. The Rays’ pitching staff, a source of many jokes over the franchise’s ten-year history, is now starting to shape up rather nicely. The Rays now have the potential, similar to the talented Oakland Athletics group at the turn of the century, to own the rights to three potential young aces – Scott Kazmir, James Shields and, yes, now Garza. With a strong core of young pitchers competing for the available spots in the back of the rotation – the talented Edwin Jackson, Jeff Niemann, David Price, Andy Sonnanstine and Mitch Talbot – Tampa Bay should field its greatest staff in history come March.