Gavin Floyd

Floyd inked an incentive-laden deal with the Indians to be a part of their starting rotation but the same elbow issues that cut his 2014 season short cropped up again almost as soon as he started to throw in March. He suffered the same fractured elbow that effectively pulled the plug on his 2015 season before it even got off the launch pad, though he did make it back in time for a handful of appearances for the Indians in September. He fared fairly well (1.13 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9, 4.7 K/9 in 13.1 innings) in his limited audition as the Indians tossed him a bone to get in some mound work in advance of his free agency in appreciation for the hard work he had done during his rehab. He'll look to land an incentive-laden deal again this winter but has made just 14 starts since the end of the 2012 season.

After Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy went down with elbow injuries on consecutive days in spring training, Floyd, who was himself rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, became a very important piece of the Braves' 2014 puzzle. He returned pretty much right on schedule in early May and went on to post a 2.37 ERA and 27:8 K:BB in his first five starts. The success continued on into June, but Floyd suffered a fractured right elbow in his ninth outing, necessitating another season-ending surgery, and all the lost arms, combined with a middling offense, became too much for Atlanta to overcome in the second half. Although the sample size is small, Floyd did post the second-best walk rate of his career in 2014 (2.1 BB/9), and his 11.4% swinging-strike rate was his best mark in 11 major league seasons. His groundball rate was up at 49.4%, prompting the Indians to sign him in December. Floyd suffered a setback with his elbow in March, putting his availability for the entire 2015 season in question.

Floyd's 2013 season lasted all of five starts. He left a late-April game with elbow issues, and he had surgery a few weeks later to repair his UCL. Before his season was cut short by the injury, Floyd was showing an increase in his home-run rate (1.5 HR/9) for the third consecutive season in addition to experiencing issues with walks. The Braves signed him to an incentive-laden deal in December with the hope that he'll be ready to join their rotation at some point in May if everything continues to go well in his recovery. Getting out of U.S. Cellular Field should go a long way in helping him remedy his issues with the long ball, and it's possible that the league change will lead to an uptick in his strikeout rate as well.

Floyd had his worst season in a White Sox uniform in 2012, but he was still a slightly above-average starter. He struck out a career-best 7.7 K/9, but his walk rate was a career-worst 3.4 BB/9. In addition, he hit an MLB-high 16 batters over the course of the season, which included two three-HBP starts. His velocity was largely in line with figures from previous seasons, so a correction in his command could produce results more in line with his career production. He is due to become a free agent after the season, which could make him an attractive commodity in the trade market. Assuming he stays in Chicago, Floyd should take the ball every fifth day as the team's third or fourth starter.

Floyd was roughly the same pitcher in 2011 as he has in previous seasons, albeit with a slightly higher ERA and marginally lower strikeout rate. His WHIP fell to an impressive 1.162 thanks to a career-low 2.09 BB/9IP, but his HR/9IP inched over 1.00 after two seasons below that threshold. Floyd's affordable terms for the next few years might make him an attractive candidate on the trade market, and a move should not affect his value too much. He would serve as the White Sox's No. 2 or 3 starter if he sticks in Chicago.

Floyd might have been one of the best pitchers in the American League over a 12-start stretch spanning June 8 to Aug. 7. He posted a 1.19 ERA, .203 BAA and earned his first career All-Star appearance over 83.1 innings in those two months. He finished the season poorly, but a shoulder injury may have been the culprit there. Floyd's success may be attributed to a higher ground ball rate - 49.9 percent - and a K/9IP that hovered above 7.0 for the second year in a row. He enters 2011 in the top three of the White Sox rotation.

Floyd would have passed 200 innings for the second straight season were it not for a hip problem that limited his innings over the final month and a half. Even with fewer innings thrown, he managed to strike out more batters than he did in 2008 (163 in 193 innings versus 145 in 206.1). He averaged a respectable 2.8 BB/9IP on the season, but that number shrank to an even better 1.9 BB/9IP over 13 second-half starts. The strikeout and walk numbers may have something to do with his improved slider, which he threw more often in 2009 than in years past. Thanks to the team's acquisition of Jake Peavy, Floyd will likely slide into the fourth starter role, meaning he will usually square off against inferior pitchers.

As important as Floyd's breakout year was to the Sox, he's less likely to repeat than John Danks is. Floyd had a notably low batting average on balls in play (.259) and his HR/FB rate was a career low. He can be a back-end starter, but his ERA is headed upward, taking his fantasy value with it.

Floyd was expected to win the fifth starter job out of spring but got beat out by John Danks and was sent to Triple-A Charlotte. He struggled for the first two months before turning things around in June, allowing 35 hits and 19 walks in his last 56 innings while striking out 55, and earned himself a promotion to Chicago. The results were mixed, though he did finish with a 3.19 ERA over his last five starts. He's once again the front runner to land the fifth starter spot this spring.

Floyd improved somewhat at Triple-A over his miserable 2005 season, but couldn't break through with consistent success with the Phillies. He was dealt in the offseason to the White Sox in the Freddy Garcia deal. Floyd still has his low-90s fastball, good curve and a changeup, and even Phillies officials talked about his potential to be a late bloomer. With Chicago, he'll have to walk the fine line of adjusting to tough AL hitting while refining his control. Floyd is a sleeper, but for 2008, not 2007.

Floyd struggled through a trying year between Triple-A and Philadelphia. He didn't become comfortable with his mechanics until late in the season, and even then his control was still wobbly. He still has a low-90s fastball and an excellent curve, and the fact that he stayed healthy through such a bad year is a good sign. Winter ball in Puerto Rico went well, so Floyd could make the Phillies rotation in spring training.

A top starting prospect, Floyd climbed from Double-A to the majors in 2004 and acclimated himself well in his September debut. Floyd has an economical motion, throws in the low 90s with a very good curveball and generates a fair amount of ground balls. Whether he will start '05 in the Phillies rotation depends on how ready he looks in the spring and how well the organization does in filling out a rotation that had several free agents. Two notes of caution: Floyd is not a power pitcher and he is only 22. He has a high upside, but temper your expectations for 2005.

Floyd joins the triumvirate of Cole Hamels and Ryan Madson as three of the best pitching prospects in the minor leagues. The 2001 first round pick of the Phillies relies heavily on a hard, knee-buckling, curveball but his fastball, usually working in the low-90s, can touch upwards of 94 mph. Because of a fast, smooth delivery, his change-up complements the quick arm motion of his fastball and he needs to use it more. Floyd might not have put up many wins, but his 3.00 ERA in the Florida State League was the second best in the Phillies organization, plus he had 115 strikeouts. Floyd also had a quality appearance at the All-Star Futures Game. Floyd will start off at Double-A Reading in 2004.

Floyd has risen quickly to become one of baseball’s top pitching prospects, all before the age of 20. The 2001 first round pick of the Phillies relies heavily on a hard, knee-buckling, curveball but his fastball, usually working in the low-90s, can touch upwards of 94 mph. Because of a fast, smooth delivery, his change-up complements the quick arm motion of his fastball and he needs to use it more. At present, his curveball is so good he tends to forget about the rest of the repertoire. This will need to change as he moves to the higher levels. Despite being a teenager, Low-A Lakewood provided little competition for his talents in 2002. While he’s very confident and polished, the club is unlikely to push him through the system rapidly. In all likelihood, the Phillies will start their protégé in High Class A Clearwater to begin 2003. Because of his youth, and lack of competition thus far, he may struggle initially. Floyd needs to learn to become less dependant on pure stuff and vary his pitches. Once this is accomplished there is nothing but a lack of experience between him and a big league career.