Reliever Joel Zumaya briefly owned the most tantalizing fastball in the big leagues. In 2006, he once threw a fastball in Detroit that registered 104 mph on the radar gun.
Now, however, it sounds as if Zumaya's fire has been extinguised. The reliever, who had signed a contract with the Twins in the off-season, indicated to the Associated Press on Monday that he's pondering retirement after recently tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow.
"I'm only 27 years old," said Zumaya. "I've taken a lot of wear and tear on my body, especially my arm. ... Maybe it's time to move on."
In order for Zumaya to have any chance of returning to the mound he would need Tommy John Surgery, which typically requires at least a year of rehab.
But the news wasn't all bad out of Twins camp Monday, as the notes below suggest. FOXSportsNorth.com will track reports from the news outlets already in Florida until March 4, when Tyler Mason will begin covering the team in Fort Myers. Here's a look at Monday's other storylines from camp:
Revere turns to football: Twins left fielder Ben Revere has drawn criticism in the past for what's perceived as a weak throwing arm.
In the offseason, he turned to football to address his weakness. According to mlb.com, Revere worked extensively in the offseason at throwing footballs in long-toss sessions.
"It helped my arm strength a lot," said Revere, a 23-year-old who stole 34 bases last season. "It's helped me out because it helps me put some backspin on the ball.
"Hopefully I'll have an Ichiro arm."
That would be a welcome sight to Twins skipper Ron Gardenhire.
"His throwing has been getting better," Gardenhire noted. "He's making sure to throw to the right cutoff man, with all the angles to the ball. ... He's a pretty good little player who can do some things. We'll see how he handles himself this spring."
Toby tells all: Ron Gardenhire's son, Toby, made his coaching debut with Wisconsin-Stout late Monday night -- at the Metrodome, of all places. In an interview with the StarTribune, Toby Gardenhire shed some insight on his father's frequent ejections from games.
"I think it's funny," said the younger Gardenhire. "I laugh when I see it. Most of the time, I can tell when he's going to get thrown out before it even happens. I see the play happen on TV, and I think, 'He's going to get thrown out.' I can tell when it's going to happen."
Price awaits Twins: According to a recent tweet from Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon, the Twins will face ace David Price in their exhibition opener on Saturday.
Price should test the Twins' lineup. The 26-year-old lefty produced a 3.49 ERA last season, with 218 strikeouts.
