2009 Draft Target: Kyle Gibson

Last year the University of Missouri had a star prospect in Aaron Crow, who was selected but not signed by the Nationals. This year the Tigers feature Kyle Gibson, a tall and projectable right hander, that many think will get drafted very highly this year, like Crow.

Gibson was drafted out of high school by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2006 in the 36th round. Gibson was a star in high school in Indiana, as he struck out over 250 hitters in his four seasons. he was named a High School All-American and had decided to attend the University of Missouri.

In his freshman year at Mizzou, Gibson pitched out of the bullpen. He had 7 saves and 8 wins in relief, while striking out 77 in 67.2 innings, earning him Honorable All Big 12 Honors. He flashed great stuff in his freshman, leading to an invite to the Cape Cod League. Pitching for Falmouth, Gibson would go 2-0, as a starter, and would be named by Baseball America has the number 3 prospect in the league.

In his sophomore season Gibson worked as a bit of a swing man, appearing in 19 games, starting 12 of them. He would win 9 games on the season and pick up 2 saves. Gibson upped his strikeout total to 96 in 86.2 innings. He would once again earned All Big 12 Honorable Mention for his performance on the season.

It was last summer, while pitching for Team USA in the FISU World Championships that he seemed to really get notice. Gibson would go 5-0 in the tournament, despite only having 1 start. He also sporting a gaudy 1.02 ERA.

This season, Gibson has become a monster starter for the Tigers. He has gone 10-3 so far and has 123 strikeouts to 18 walks in 98.2 innings pitched. He also leads the team in complete games with 5.

Gibson has the projectable size that everyone likes as he is 6'6". He features a fastball that is not all that special, sitting in the low 90's, but has a plus slider that fools plenty of hitters. He occasionally throws a change as well. Some are not enamored with Gibson's mechanics though, as he is a tall and fall guy, not utilizing his entire body. Others look at the low velocity on his fastball and have plenty of questions there, as he does not light up the radar gun.

This year's draft is very pitching heavy and Gibson is probably assured of being selected within the first 10 picks. My guess is that the Pirates will have the opportunity to select him at number 4 overall, if they wish. Gibson does have a track record and projectable frame, but does not have the velocity that Huntington seems to like in pitchers. In that way, Gibson almost seems to be a guy that Littlefield would have wanted, a safe college guy with a track record. Then again, this year's draft class, maybe shallow enough that taking a guy like Gibson is the right thing to do.

MLB Draft Profile

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