If you're like me, you may often wonder what former players are up to. Former Minnesota Twins first-round pick Matt Garza is one of the more popular "that guy" pitchers when you think of players of the past. Drafted by the Twins in 2005, Garza flew through the Twins' minor-league system, making his Major League debut with the team in 2006. A former top prospect, Garza only spent two seasons with the Twins before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays following the 2007 season.
It was with the Rays that Garza emerged as one of the top pitchers in the American League, including being a vital part of the Rays' rotation the season they went to the World Series in 2008.
Garza was often a popular trade candidate, being part of three notable trades throughout his career. Beyond the trade from the Twins, Garza was dealt from the Rays to the Chicago Cubs in 2011. Acquired to sit at the top of the Cubs' rotation, Garza was one of the Cubs' better pitchers during their rebuilding years. The Cubs dealt Garza to the Texas Rangers in 2014, landing Carl Edwards Jr. as part of the package from Texas. Edwards was a vital member of the Cubs' bullpen in 2016 when they won the World Series.
Forgotten Twins arm is trending again (and it's not pretty)
Garza's last season at the Major League level was in 2017 with the Milwaukee Brewers. In 114.2 innings pitched in 2017, Garza posted a 4.94 ERA. Now, Garza is coaching 9U baseball and has returned to the highlight reel. However, this time, it is for all the wrong reasons.
In case anyone wanted to know what Matt Garza was up to 😬 pic.twitter.com/hNlw31aJPB
— Ryan (@BrewPack8) June 17, 2025
It seems that Garza took issue with the batter's box, and the umpire, who probably doesn't get paid enough to have to deal with a former Major League pitcher, was pretty courteous in allowing the former pitcher to express his frustration. At the end of the clip, it seems as if Garza said one too many magical words and got tossed from the game. Honestly, the funniest part of the entire clip was the fan in attendance being like "see, we told you that would happen" after Garza got the boot.
As a reminder, it was 9U baseball; it's never that serious. Sure, it is on the 9U fields where stars are born, but the most important thing is that the kids are having fun and not being embarrassed by their coaches. Garza did not check that box with his wild reaction to an otherwise minor detail.