MATT GARZA unleashed his high-90s fastball on three minor league levels in four months in 2006--his first full pro season--and went 14--4 with a 1.99 ERA while striking out 154 batters in 135 2/3 innings. Then came his first big league start, for the Twins against the Blue Jays last Aug. 11 in the Metrodome. When his name was announced over the P.A., Garza says, "The fans blew up the Dome, and I was like, Oh, crap, I gotta go now." The 6'4" righty was unable to control his adrenaline, or his curve and slider, and Toronto turned 2 2/3 innings of fastballs into seven earned runs. He wound up 3--6 with a 5.76 ERA and admits that fatigue caught up with him. "I had the pedal to the metal all year to get up there; then I ran out of gas," he says.

"He's got to focus on locating better, getting ahead in the count and using all his pitches, and not on trying to blow people away," says manager Ron Gardenhire. Garza, 23, understands that, and he focused his off-season work on refining his full repertoire, which includes a change that he can consistently repeat. An improved arsenal should allow his briefly stalled joyride through pro ball to recommence in the Twin Cities.