FanPost

Is Matt Garza the next Jason Verlander?

Detroit drafted Jason Verlander in the first round of the 2004 draft.  The Twins drafted Matt Garza in the first round of the 2005 draft.  Verlander rocketed through Detroit's minor league system to become a starter for the Tigers in less than two years following the draft.  And Verlander who reportedly hits 100mph on occassion with his fastball, is one of the brightest young starters in the league.

Verlander began his first full season of minor league ball, 2005, in the Florida State League with Lakeland.  Garza began his first full year, 2006, in the same league with Ft. Myers.  How does Garza compare with Verlander's performance in the FSL?


Verlander  13gs  9-2  86.0ip  70h  19r  16er
           19BB  104SO  1.03WHIP  1.67ERA

Garza       8gs  5-1  44.1ip  27h  13r   7er
           11BB   53SO  0.64WHIP  1.42ERA

Although Verlander remained in the FSL longer, Garza's numbers appear to be superior to those put up by Verlander during 2005.  Verlander was promoted to Erie (AA) during the summer of 2005.  Garza was recently promoted to New Britain which again is the same league as Erie.  Verlander's performance at Erie:


Verlander   7gs  2-0  32.2ip  11h  1r   1er
            7BB  32SO  0.55WHIP  0.28ERA

Garza       1gs  1-0   7.2ip   1h  0r   0er
            2BB  13SO  0.39WHIP  0.00ERA

Verlander went on to make 2 starts for Detroit in 2005 and is now a regular in the Tiger rotation who is pitching very well:


Tigers  2005   2gs  0-2  11.1ip  15h   9r   9er
              5BB   7SO  1.81WHIP   7.15ERA
Tigers  2006   8gs  5-3  51.0ip  46h  20r  18er
             14BB  27SO  1.18WHIP   3.18ERA

Although one game at AA is not enough to compare Garza's performance with that of Verlander in 2005, however, should he continue to pitch similar to his first outing it may very well be that Garza will enjoy similar success to Verlander in the American League.  The next question is when will we see Garza with the Twins.  Will he be a September callup this season?  Or will they be patient and wait until sometime in 2007?