Rays Top Ten Best Starters in Franchise History

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#8 Matt Garza – RHP – 6’4″ 215 lbs

Drafted: by the Twins in the 1st round of the 2005 draft (25th overall)

Acquired: from the Minnesota Twins with Eddie Morlan and Jason Bartlett in return for Brendan Harris, Jason Pridie and Delmon Young

Stats

Resume among starters:

GS: 94, 5th
IP: 592.1, 6th
Wins: 34, 8th
Loss: 31, 8th
ERA: 3.86, 7th
SO: 467, 5th
AVG: .242, 7th
Whip: 1.25, 6th

The Rays got much more out of Garza than they would have gotten from Delmon Young. Not only was he a great character guy while he was with the Rays, but he managed to prove himself as a reliable and workhorse starter. Not exactly an ace, or even a #2, he was a solid #3 performer and provided the Rays with stability they so needed when he was with them. I had to include the no-hitter picture, even if it isn’t the best quality, as the honour of being the first to do so as a Rays SP is a huge feat.

Next: At #7 is a SP who looked to be on his way to being an Ace