This "if" could be said about any successful pitcher. Good pitchers get ahead, then force guys to deal with tough, borderline pitches (aka breaking pitches that start in the zone, but end up in the dirt). It's extremely rare to find hitters that can consistently lay off of those (the Mauer's if the world), especially when you are behind and in a protection mode. Gibson's problem is/was that he wasn't getting ahead of hitters, then making mistakes in the zone. Not that his fastball is in some way worse than a successful pitcher. Quite the opposite. He's got some life in his fastball and can get outs with it. If Gibson went 0-1 or 1-1 at a higher rate (throw more first/second pitch strikes) instead of always sitting 2-0, 2-1, he has the stuff to be a very good starting pitcher. We've seen flashes occasionally, and he's had success in the past. Gibson is in another class than your typical back-end independent league guys that get banged around at the back-end of the Twins rotation because their stuff doesn't play. He doesn't get enough credit from most fans, in terms of his stuff, IMO. I still have hope that he's going to figure it out and turn his career around.