By Ricky O’Donnell
Like most Sox fans, Gavin Floyd didn’t have high hopes for himself heading into this season. Why else would he make a bet with teammates that he would shave his head if he won more than 12 games in 2008?
But since grabbing that razor after an August 10 win over the Red Sox, hair is the only thing Floyd has lost. In four starts following the haircut, Floyd is 3-0, never allowing more than more than three runs in any start.
Really, Floyd’s recent success shouldn’t be all that surprising – he has been consistently good the entire season. What’s weird is that most Sox fans, myself included, still don’t believe what they’re seeing.
One contributor to South Side Sox recently mapped out what the Sox should look like over the next four years. Alexei Ramirez and Carlos Quentin are projected to be team staples through 2012, and John Danks is rightfully penciled in atop the rotation. But Floyd only sits in the fifth starter’s slot. After what’s he’s done for the Sox this year at age 25, haven’t we seen enough from the former top-five draft pick to expect him to be better than that?
If you’re just looking at Floyd’s peripheral statistics, probably not. He gives up way too many line drives, fly balls and walks, and doesn’t get a ton of strikeouts. You can say he’s been lucky, since a little luck can go a long way in baseball. But it’s not like Floyd is living off one or two dominant months. He’s been steady the whole year.
Here Floyd sits on the second day of September as the White Sox’s winningest pitcher with 15 victories, good for sixth in the AL. His 3.61 ERA and 1.25 WHIP aren’t too shabby either.
Maybe it’s time we stopped expecting a grand downfall from Floyd and enjoy what he’s given the Sox this season. Sure, some of his numbers aren’t as appealing as Javy Vazquez’s, but ask yourself who you’d have more confidence in during the playoffs. If Floyd can get it done there, maybe he can finally get a little more respect.
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Week in Review: One word: Pedroia. The Red Sox’s little jockey ate Sox pitching for breakfast for this week, and Boston won two of three because of it. Also: G-Flo picked up two victories.
Week in Preview: The Sox and Angels hook up for a four-gamer in Chicago to close out the week. I wonder if Doug Eddings will be behind the plate any of those games?
Fields on the Farm: For whatever reason, Fields hasn’t been able to get it going all year. This week was pretty much a microcosm of his entire 2008: .265 BA, one homer, 15 strikeouts.
The Missile Tracker: Alexei hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. He picked up his second four-hit game this week against the Orioles.
Over/Under: 0: Number of people that were anxiously anticipating Mike MacDougal’s return to the majors.
Beachwood Sabermetrics: A complex algorithm performed by The White Sox Report staff using all historical data made available by Major League Baseball has decided that Nick Swisher would totally be Reagan.
The White Sox Report: Read ’em all.
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Ricky O’Donnell is the proprietor of Tremendous Upside Potential , a contributor to the Sun-Times’s Full Court Press and a lot of other things.
Posted on September 2, 2008