A look at Glenn Gibson

Hudson Valley's LHRP Glenn Gibson was ineffective again last night in relief of Diego Echeverria:

Pitcher	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO
Gibson	2.1	8	4	0	1	5

The 6'4" lefty was originally drafted by Washington in the 4th round of the 2006 draft. He had been rated the #2 amateur prospect in the state of New York by BA in 2006. He turned down a baseball scholarship at University of Central Florida to sign with the Nationals.

After signing he pitched for the Vermont Lake Monsters of the New York-Penn League (A-):

Pitcher	Age	G	GS	IP	ERA	FIP	DIPS	SO/9	BB/9	H/9	HR/9
Gibson	18	3	3	6.0	0.00	0.87	0.91	10.5	0.0	3.0	0.0

After the '06 season he was named Washington's 7th best prospect and the best curveball in their system according to BA.

In 2007 he was again assigned to Vermont:

Pitcher	Age	G	GS	IP	ERA	FIP	DIPS	SO/9	BB/9	H/9	HR/9
Gibson	19	12	12	58.0	3.10	2.75	2.80	9.0	2.3	7.3	0.5

Solid season for a 19 year old starter in short season A ball. He was a midseason All-Star and after the season was named Washington's 8th best prospect and the 9th best prospect in the NYP by BA. BA also said he had the best changeup and best control in their system.

On December 10, 2007, he was traded to the Rays for OF Elijah Dukes. At the time, many Rays fans would have traded Dukes for a bucket of balls and his value was at it's lowest, so this looked like quite an acquisition by the organization.

In 2008 Gibson was assigned to Columbus (A) where he began as a starter but was moved to the pen after several bad outings:

Pitcher	Age	G	GS	IP	ERA	FIP	DIPS	SO/9	BB/9	H/9	HR/9
Gibson	20	22	12	78.2	7.44	5.58	5.36	5.6	4.7	11.9	1.4

Everything looks bad, not one thing to point to as the cause. He wasn't sat down so there is no indication of injury. After the NYP started he was demoted to Hudson Valley where he has continued to struggle:

Pitcher	Age	G	GS	IP	ERA	FIP	DIPS	SO/9	BB/9	H/9	HR/9
Gibson	20	10	0	21.2	6.65	4.77	4.16	9.6	5.8	12.9	0.8

The strikeout rate is back up but the walk and hit rates are still way too high. Remember, this is his third trip through the NYP, even though he is just 20. Even if we ignore the Columbus numbers, this year he has gone from an effective starter in the NYP to an ineffective reliever.

Reasons for hope: BABIP @ Columbus = .342, not bad, but high. BABIP @ HV = .426, this cannot maintain. He'll get better. FYI, average BABIP is around .300.

Going into next year I think we need to forget 2008 happened. Maybe the trade, the new organization, and the promotion to full-season A ball all were too much for him at once. Maybe the organization just was mistaken about his readiness for Columbus. Start him in Columbus and remember how young he is and all those accolades from 2006 and 2007.