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Prospect
in the Spotlight: Gavin Floyd
by Daniel Paulling
September 19, 2004
Gavin Floyd
Height 6-6; Weight 210; Bats R; Throws R; Position SP; DOB 1/27/83;
Team Philadelphia Phillies
| Team |
Wins |
IP |
K's |
ERA |
| Lakewood (A) |
11 |
166 |
140 |
2.77 |
| Clearwater (A) |
7 |
138 |
115 |
3.00 |
| Reading (AA) |
5 |
110.1 |
92 |
2.61 |
| Cranton/Wilkes Barre (AAA) |
1 |
30.2 |
18 |
4.99 |
During his tenure with the Mount St. Joseph baseball team, Gavin
watched his older brother Mike and some guy name Mark Teixeira play.
After his senior year, Gavin decided to go pro, the same year as
the other two, who both decided to go the College route.
Gavin Floyd was selected by the Phillies in the first round (fourth
overall) of the 2001 draft, one slot before Teixeira and 21 rounds
before his brother. Signed by Ken Hultzapple with a club-record
$4.2 million bonus, the younger Floyd quickly proved himself to
be a polished pitcher entering a very good farm system.
Physically, according to John Sickels, Floyd is “close to
being a perfect pitching prospect.” Floyd has a strong upper
and lower body, with a very thin frame that does not wear down and
cause injuries. His fastball can hit 95 at times, but is usually
around 92-93 MPH. He might gain a couple of miles-per-hour as he
matures even more and gains more strength. During Floyd’s
tenure in the minors, many scouts ranked the pitch as one of the
best breaking pitches in the minors, quite high praise. The final
offering he has is a changeup which is considered only average for
the major league level.
The biggest weakness in Floyd’s game is an over-reliance on
the curveball. When the righty learns to mix and match his pitches
with a little more aplomb, then rapid improvement will be seen.
Another thing hampering his game, in past years, was mechanical
consistency. For a six foot, six inch tall pitcher, this is completely
understandable; Floyd has worked on this flaw and has improved noticeably.
In his Major League debut, Gavin Floyd worked seven innings and
allowed only one earned run. He struck out five, walked four, and
gave up four hits. An impressive debut, to say the least.
Welcome to the show, kid. Good luck
Feel free to leave comments in the forums or
e-mail Daniel at daniel@athomeplate.com.
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