Floyd has found his rhythm

[DBAHO]

Good read;

 

BALTIMORE - Baseball's top starting pitchers have an aura about them. They stand tall on the rubber with body language that says, "Jump on, boys, I've got this under control."

The Chicago White Sox have a pitcher who is starting to develop this aura. His name is Gavin Floyd. Yes, the same Gavin Floyd whose slow development frustrated Phillies officials before they traded him in 2006, is blossoming into the pitcher everyone thought he could be when he was selected fourth overall in the 2001 draft.

 

"He's done a great job for us," White Sox designated hitter Jim Thome, another former Phillie, said Thursday. "We really feel confident when he goes to the mound."

 

The 25-year-old righthander is 2-0 with a 1.40 ERA in three starts. He has beaten the Detroit Tigers, a team that has the potential to lead the majors in runs, twice. He was in line for his third win before the Sox' bullpen lost a late three-run lead to Baltimore on Thursday.

 

In his first 191/3innings of the new season, Floyd has allowed just nine hits. He carried a no-hitter into the fifth Thursday. In the start before that, he took a no-hitter into the eighth.

 

On the mound, Floyd looks sure of himself. The days when he was as uneasy as a 16-year-old driving on the Schuylkill Expressway for the first time appear behind him.

 

"I get my sign from the catcher, get my rhythm and tempo and attack the strike zone," Floyd said. "It sounds simple, but you could have told me that two years ago and I'd try, but it wouldn't come out right."

 

Pitching is coming naturally to Floyd again, as it did in high school, as it didn't with the Phillies. He has stopped over-thinking and stopped fiddling with mechanics. No more paralysis by analysis. Just pitch.

 

"I'm back to being smooth, natural, effortless," he said. "Once I started messing around too much, I wasn't as natural and things just snowballed. Everything went downhill and I lost confidence and focus. Then you try too hard and you overthrow. It got frustrating.

 

"The people here knew what I went through [in the Phillies organization]. They knew I was listening to too many people, trying too many new things. We focused on a couple of keys, and it's made a difference. Before, I was diving with my front shoulder, jumping at the hitter. Now I'm staying back and letting my natural ability work."

 

Floyd made 11 starts for the 2006 Phillies and had a 7.29 ERA. From 2004 to 2006, he pitched in 24 games and was 7-5 with a 6.96 ERA. He was also inconsistent in the minors over that span.

 

At the winter meetings in 2006, the Phillies traded him and pitching prospect Gio Gonzalez to the White Sox for Freddy Garcia. The Phils thought they were getting a top arm, but Garcia showed up hurt and was a non-factor in 2007. The White Sox have since dealt Gonzalez for centerfielder Nick Swisher, who has been a big early-season contributor. Meanwhile, Floyd has emerged as a pitcher manager Ozzie Guillen can count on.

 

"The big difference is his confidence," Guillen said. "The stuff has always been there. His biggest growth has been the mental. He knows he can pitch here."

 

When Floyd struggled in Philadelphia, his toughness was questioned. He scoffs at those criticisms but does acknowledge that early-career struggles toughened him.

 

"It's not easy to be tough when you're failing," Guillen said. "No human being likes to have his ass kicked.

 

"I don't care what happened in Philadelphia. I go with what I see, and to me, he's a pretty good major-league pitcher. And with the stuff he has he can even be better.

 

"If he believes in himself, he has a chance to make a lot of money. If he doesn't believe in himself, he'll be just another in the bunch."

 

Floyd's early-season success is far from shocking. He's always had an above-average fastball and a knee-buckling breaking ball. Pitchers, however, are no different than any other human. They mature at their own rate. In that vein, Phils assistant general manager Mike Arbuckle, who oversaw the drafting of Floyd, always believed things would eventually click for the pitcher. It was just a matter of when. Realistically, though, after giving Floyd a $4.2 million signing bonus, that question only grew more cumbersome every time he struggled.

 

"When you come with high expectations and fail one or two times, some people have a tendency to walk away from you," Guillen said. "Here, I just let the kid pitch."

 

Floyd hails from Baltimore. Being traded from the Phillies to Chicago meant his family could no longer make a two-hour drive to watch him pitch. But that's OK.

 

"I loved Philadelphia," Floyd's father, Rodney, told the Baltimore Sun. "But I think the expectations for him there were a little too soon. I think it was a good change for him mentally."

 

The most telling indication of Floyd's maturity might not be his early success. It might be the even-keeled way he's handling it.

 

"I've had a few good games," he said. "But it's a long season. I still need to get better."

[shipps]

This article reminds me,what are the fans saying about Dank's,Floyd,and Quentin on the former teams message boards?One can only assume that they feel robbed right now,or maybe they just arent obsessed as the posters on this board.

[TitoMB345]

This article reminds me,what are the fans saying about Dank's,Floyd,and Quentin on the former teams message boards?One can only assume that they feel robbed right now,or maybe they just arent obsessed as the posters on this board.

Also, how is B-mac doing? I haven't looked his stats up in a while.

[Kyyle23]

Also, how is B-mac doing? I haven't looked his stats up in a while.

 

last I heard he was on the DL

 

edit:

 

Player News from Scouts Inc.'s Briefing Room

Apr. 18 : McCarthy, who is currently on the 60-day disabled list with forearm inflammation, was medically cleared on Thursday to continue his current throwing program, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

 

Edited April 20, 2008 by kyyle23

[sox-r-us]

KW has won the trades he made with Philly and Texas, and it looks like he will at least be equal on the trade with the As (too early to figure out how Gio and DLF do but I love Swish at the top of the line up)

 

For those always bi-tching about our farm system, maybe some of those morons realizehow filling up a major league roster with really young players like Swish, Danks, Floyd, Quentin is MUCH better since they actually help you win NOW and are part of the future relatively cheap. Nice job Kenny.

[Jordan4life_2007]

The Sox will be the envy of the league if both Danks and Floyd prove to be for real.

[VAfan]

The Sox will be the envy of the league if both Danks and Floyd prove to be for real.

 

Not only that, but if Danks and Floyd continue pitching the way they have, the Sox will be very competitive factors in the AL Central race.

[thedoctor]

This article reminds me,what are the fans saying about Dank's,Floyd,and Quentin on the former teams message boards?One can only assume that they feel robbed right now,or maybe they just arent obsessed as the posters on this board.

 

i'd imagine neither phillie nor ranger fans are excited about how those deals worked out for them, at this point at least. but quentin was going to be fighting an uphill battle for playing time in arizona. the dbacks have a lot of young outfield talent, so that one probably doesn't smart quite as much.

 

i know one thing, as a white sox fan i'm happy as hell we have all three. for all the ish kenny has taken, those three deals (as we stand here today) look very wise.

[lostfan]

KW has won the trades he made with Philly and Texas, and it looks like he will at least be equal on the trade with the As (too early to figure out how Gio and DLF do but I love Swish at the top of the line up)

 

For those always bi-tching about our farm system, maybe some of those morons realizehow filling up a major league roster with really young players like Swish, Danks, Floyd, Quentin is MUCH better since they actually help you win NOW and are part of the future relatively cheap. Nice job Kenny.

These types of posts make me cringe

[RME JICO]

"But it's a long season. I still need to get better."

Get better? I would take that.

 

He does look like a totally different pitcher. Good for him, good for the Sox, and good for us.

[southsider2k5]

Its one of those situations where a change of scenery means everything. Floyd was never going to be successful in Philly. A guy like Kip Wells wasn't going to be successful in Chicago. They just needed something different to start over and rebuild from.

[claydude14]

I hope I didn't jump the gun by picking Gavin up in my fantasy league.

[tonyho7476]

I hope I didn't jump the gun by picking Gavin up in my fantasy league.

 

s***...you just f***ed everything up.

[lostfan]

s***...you just f***ed everything up.

When I was at the O's game last week I elbowed my (O's fan) friend in around the 5th, and I told him to look at the R-H-E. Yeah I shouldn't have done that because he blurts out "oh my, that looks like a NO-HITTER doesn't it?" And then that single off Crede's glove came the next inning a few mins later.

 

Moral of the story: if opposing fans don't notice a no-hitter in progress, let them figure it out on their own.

[RockRaines]

It's not so much how he's pitching now that will show how far he's come, its his next start after the one where he gets roughed up. He hasnt dealt with huge adversity yet this season, thats the true indicator of a pitchers mettle.

[witesoxfan]

KW has won the trades he made with Philly and Texas, and it looks like he will at least be equal on the trade with the As (too early to figure out how Gio and DLF do but I love Swish at the top of the line up)

 

For those always bi-tching about our farm system, maybe some of those morons realizehow filling up a major league roster with really young players like Swish, Danks, Floyd, Quentin is MUCH better since they actually help you win NOW and are part of the future relatively cheap. Nice job Kenny.

 

I love when you call people morons too.