Round One: Minnesota Twins Select Kyle Gibson

by Jesse on Jun 9, 2009 8:05 PM EDT in Draft Coverage Comment 15 comments

Kyle Gibson
Pos: RHP
School: U Missouri Columbia, MO
Born: 10-23-1987
Height: 6' 6"
Weight: 210 lbs
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

From MLB.com's Draft Reports: "Projectable as a front-of-the-rotation type...complete package of stuff, presence and command...low-90's fastball, hard slider and plus changeup..."

Focus Area	Comments
Fastball:	Gibson's fastball sat comfortably in the 91-92 mph range and topped out at 93 mph.
Fastball movement:	It had above-average sink, down in the zone. There wasn't much side-to-side movement.
Slider:	He threw a hard, down slider in the 81-84 mph range.
Changeup:	An above-average offering, he threw it a lot, in the 80-82 mph range.
Control:	He had above-average command of all three pitches.
Poise:	Kept his cool as others lost their heads in a dispute. Showed a competitive streak when he hit an opposing player with a purpose pitch.
Physical Description:	Gibson is tall and skinny, walking the fine line between projectability and being too narrow-framed.
Medical Update:	Healthy.
Strengths:	A complete package of stuff, command and poise. He can throw all of his pitches for strikes at any point in the count.
Weaknesses:	The breaking ball isn't quite as consistent as the fastball and change. His frame might be a little too narrow.
Summary:	Gibson certainly looked the part of a top college starter in the early part of the season. He has three pitches he can throw for strikes in any count and he shows a lot of poise and a competitive streak on the mound. Scouts love his size at 6-foot-6, though some might worry he's a little too thin. Most look at his combination of stuff, command and mound presence and see a sure-fire first-round pick.

Selections from ESPN's Insider scouting report on Gibson:

Good, downhill-plane fastball...changeup and slider project as plus pitches, with the changeup better right now...command and control above average...one of the better delieveries in the draft, but has a strong recoil...projects to be middle-rotation starter very quickly...

From Saber Scouting, a great site:

Physical Description - Perfect pitcher’s body. Ultra projectable, long legs. Thin as a rail, plenty of room to grow and bulk up. Square shoulders, looks like a coat hanger. Not yet physically mature. Built like a younger Mark Prior.

Fastball - Sits at 88-90, touches 91. There is plenty more to come. Huge projection, looks like he’s throwing much harder. Throws a heavy ball with good, late life. Easy mechanics makes the ball appear to be jumping out of his hand. Has command east to west but need to work down in the zone. Should soon be sitting 92-93 plus life, could dominate with fastballs down in the zone.

Slider - 80-83 hard slider with 10-4 break. Near unhittable when spotted against right-handers. Has trouble spotting vs. lefties. Plus pitch when located but he needs to find more consistency. Stays on top, rarely hangs it. Can throw for strikes and bury it also. Legitimate strikeout pitch.

Changeup - 79-81 MPH changeup is rarely used. Does not trust it and shows to be essentially a two-pitch pitcher. Very straight, this pitch needs a lot of work. Alters arm speed and lacks feel. He needs this pitch to combat lefties. Big hole in his arsenal.

Mechanics - Smooth, easy arm action, shouldn’t have serious arm problems. Very little effort. Has a pause in his delivery just before his release, allows his arm to catch up. Drifts out over the rubber, weight leaks forwards, costs him a few ticks of his velocity. Doesn’t drive with his legs, relies on his fast arm. Throws over the top, creating good downward action. No windup.

Notes - Not a pitcher at this stage, more of a thrower. Projection is key. Needs to get stronger. Natural movement keeps him away from the middle of the plate. Doesn’t look like a natural athlete, awkward fielding his position. Likes to work insider. Easy delivery appears to lull hitters and makes his fastball more effective.

Adjusted Overall Future Potential: 63

Present Group: P, Future Group: A-

Projected Role: #2 starter

Draft Projection: Top Ten Picks (’09)

Ratings from The Baseball Cube:

Control: 89
K-Rating: 98
Efficiency: 92

Pitching Statistics

Year	Team	Lg	Age	Org	Lvl	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SH	GF	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	WP	H9	HR9	BB9	K9	WHIP
2007	UMO	Big12	19	-	NCAA	8	3	4.12	28	2	0	0		7	67.2	62	34	31		19	77		8.2	---	2.5	10.2	1.20
2008	UMO	Big12	20	-	NCAA	9	4	3.84	19	12	2	0		2	86.2	86	43	37		23	96		8.9	---	2.4	10.0	1.26

0 recs | Comment 15 comments | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Read More: 2009 mlb draft, Minnesota Twins

Comments

Getting a guy

who could be a 2-3 starter, and is likely to get there as a college guy with polish, is pretty good at 22.

by Eric in Madison on Jun 9, 2009 8:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I wonder if they will let him pitch at all this summer

by Eric in Madison on Jun 9, 2009 8:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It has to depend on what their evaluation of his health was.

I have to think it must have been fairly positive for them to draft him in the first round. Maybe they ease him in slowly, but they should get some innings from him I’d think.

by Jesse on Jun 9, 2009 8:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

maybe

they are awfully conservative. I wonder if they would actually send him to the AZ Fall League as his first work. That would be unusual but possible.

by Eric in Madison on Jun 9, 2009 8:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can see that happening.

With that injury, and with what sounds like some mechanics that need to be worked out, that might be the better idea. Rest him a bit this summer, check out the arm a bit more, work on his recoil and polish him up a little bit…then get him pitching right away instead of waiting until next spring.

by Jesse on Jun 9, 2009 8:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hmm

Hmm, sounds like he has some good promise. All very fixable flaws.

"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane

by AdamOnFirst on Jun 9, 2009 8:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

He probably won’t sign untl August. Unless his arm is really good.

stop by Waving the Wheat (http://wavingthewheat.wordpress.com/) and The College Hockey Blog (http://thecollegehockeyblog.wordpress.com/)

by fetch9 on Jun 9, 2009 8:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Maybe. but the Twins rarely draft a guy

they are going to have trouble signing in the first round. I assume they know what it’s going to take to get that done.

by Eric in Madison on Jun 9, 2009 8:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I mean the Twins won't want to if his arm is iffy

and plus, there was no one else available that was really worth it at that spot. Worst case scenario they don’t sign him and have two 1st rounders next year

stop by Waving the Wheat (http://wavingthewheat.wordpress.com/) and The College Hockey Blog (http://thecollegehockeyblog.wordpress.com/)

by fetch9 on Jun 9, 2009 8:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

arm

La Velle reports he has a stress facture in his pitching arm and won’t pitch for 4-5 weeks

by clutterheart on Jun 9, 2009 9:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

well it’s been known for a week or so that’s why he fell to 22

stop by Waving the Wheat (http://wavingthewheat.wordpress.com/) and The College Hockey Blog (http://thecollegehockeyblog.wordpress.com/)

by fetch9 on Jun 9, 2009 9:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nice pick

I saw him in march when he came down and shut down my Longhorns with 9 shutout innings. He showed great control and poise throughout the game and pretty much dominated a very good baseball team. I don’t think that the Twins could have done much better than this pick.

by LonghornedTwin on Jun 9, 2009 8:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the first-hand reaction.

It’s good to hear! I have to agree, seeing who has been selected after him, without the help of hindsight this looks like a good pick with some solid upside.

by Jesse on Jun 9, 2009 8:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

changeup

Conflicting reports about his change up.
Two say its good and he uses it a lot, one says its a “big hole”

So far so good!

by clutterheart on Jun 9, 2009 8:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I’d call it a good college changeup and that it needs a bit of work to make it a good MLB-ready changeup. But he’s in a good organization for that kind of help

by LonghornedTwin on Jun 9, 2009 9:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs