Twins Video
In the grand scheme of things, the order of pitchers in the first two games of the season isn’t all that important. Maybe the Twins consider starting the home opener, which Kyle Gibson is in line to do next Monday, a more meaningful honor.
But by all means, the 28-year-old has earned the distinction of top dog in the Minnesota rotation.
Last year, Gibson led Twins starters in innings and his ERA (3.84) was lower than all but Tyler Duffey, who made 10 starts. While Ervin Santana was sitting out the first half with a suspension, Gibson was helping propel the team toward the top of the division. From start to finish, he was the rock in the starting unit.
It’s impressive that the righty held opponents to a .257/.306/.387 line in 2015, but even more impressive when you consider that his 17.7 percent K-rate ranked near the bottom of the league.
When hitters put the ball in play against Gibson, they batted .287, which is lower than the expected rate of about .300. That’s a testament to his sharp late-breaking pitches and the weak contact they produce.
But contact is contact, and invariably when bat meets ball that much there are going to be hits, errors, runs. Since Gibson lacks elite control, the key for him to take his game to the next level is going to be making more people miss. Fortunately, there are promising signs on that front.
In spring training, Gibson led the staff in strikeouts with 22 in his 22.2 frames. Of course, his stuff always looks nasty in spring training, and side sessions, but hasn't translated to an above-average whiff rate. Not yet.
His strikeout percentage has risen each year he’s been in the majors, from 12 to 14 to last year’s 18. Now, three years removed from losing a season to Tommy John surgery and coming off a 2015 campaign that featured a career-high 194 innings and no significant arm issues, he looks about as strong as he ever has.
Among the five Twins starters, Gibson is the youngest, the least experienced, the lowest paid. But for all intents and purposes, he’s the leader of this rotation, and tonight he’ll lead the team into the real start of the 2016 season.
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