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Gavin Floyd carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Tigers.
Perhaps the prospect pundits were right after all.
Just a few seasons ago, Gavin Floyd was a top prospect in the Phillies' organization, seemingly destined for the top of the rotation. He had been drafted fourth overall in the 2001 draft and lived up to that pedigree in his first few seasons in the minors.
However, things started going south in 2005, as he was lit up at Triple-A with a 6.16 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in 23 starts. In 2006, he was slightly better, but a 7.29 ERA in 11 big league starts convinced the Phillies to trade Floyd to the White Sox for Freddy Garcia. Floyd lost the fifth starter's job to John Danks last season and got lit up again when he did appear in the big leagues, and many were ready to write him off as another player who was ultimately all pedigree, no performance.
On Saturday, the 25-year-old performed. He came within five outs of a no-hitter, and wound up throwing 7 1/3 shutout innings of one-hit ball, walking four and striking out four against the Tigers.
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Jason Grey and Nate Ravitz talk about scouting prospects in the Friday edition of Fantasy Focus  |
Floyd's calling card as a pitcher was always a big 12-to-6 curveball that ranked up there with the best in the minor leagues; a true "out" pitch. Unfortunately, a mediocre changeup and poor fastball command didn't allow Floyd to be effective when he hit the upper minors, and soon the curve started flattening out a bit as well, as Floyd battled his mechanics.
His curve started coming back this spring, and he started throwing quality strikes and getting ahead in the count, two things he had been lacking. He finished camp strong, and has carried that into two quality starts to open the season. Was he written off too quickly?
While he's not going to be the No. 2 starter whom people envisioned, he has the chance to be a quality arm at the back of the rotation. He's someone to consider stashing away on your reserve list in mixed leagues. Watch him for a couple more starts to see if he has indeed turned the corner. Many pitchers have had good outings the first two weeks of the season, but Floyd has some decent raw ability to back it up.
• Past Out of the Boxes: Saturday: Longoria gets the call | Friday: Harden to DL
Nate McLouth, Pirates
Went 2-for-5 to raise his major-league-leading hit total to 21, and he's made them count. His 11 RBIs have him tied for fifth in that category.
Chris Young, Padres
Three innings, seven hits, seven runs, six of them earned. Two home runs allowed, four walks, offset by only two strikeouts. It was ugly however you slice it.
"Maddux wound up and threw. By now, pitching coach Darren Balsley was watching, along with a few other Padres who had received word that a strange experiment was taking place involving a catcher attempting to catch without the benefit of vision."
-- Tim Keown Full Story
• The Phillies placed Shane Victorino on the disabled list with a strained right calf and called up Chris Snelling. If his history is any indication, Snelling will soon be following Victorino to the DL.
• The Tigers placed Dontrelle Willis on the disabled list with a hyperextended right knee and recalled infielder Ryan Raburn from Triple-A. It's possible Willis could return when his 15 days are up.
• The Rangers placed Eddie Guardado on the disabled list with shoulder soreness, to make room for fifth starter Luis Mendoza. The sinkerballing Mendoza is only a consideration in deep AL-only leagues.
• The Nationals activated Chad Cordero from the disabled list and sent Jason Bergmann to Triple-A. Cordero will step right back into his closer's role, and Bergmann will be back in the rotation at some point this season.
• The Orioles sent infielder Scott Moore to Triple-A and recalled pitcher Jim Johnson. Moore was blocked by Melvin Mora at third base, and the O's needed another pitcher to help out a tired bullpen.
• The Rays recalled pitcher Jeff Niemann from Triple-A and sent pitcher Jae Kuk Ryu down. Niemann will take the place of Matt Garza in the rotation temporarily until Scott Kazmir returns. The former first-round pick has shown he's beyond the injury problems that plagued him in the past, and he could be worth a short-term look in AL leagues.
• Brandon Wood hit two solo homers for the Salt Lake Stingers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Angels, on Saturday night, giving him a total of six on the season. He has homered in three straight games and four of his last five. However, he has struck out 18 times in 45 at-bats and has walked just once while hitting .267. Clearly, there is still some work to be done.
• The Rockies' Corey Wimberly lost the batting title at the Arizona Fall League on the last day, but he's remained hot early this season, hitting .423 with seven steals in nine games for Double-A Tulsa. Wimberly is playing third because of the presence of Eric Young Jr. at second (.342, six steals), and could see some time at second base in Colorado later this year.
• Cardinals starting pitching prospect Mitch Boggs has allowed just one run in his first two starts, spanning 13 innings. He threw seven innings of one-run ball on Saturday night, walking none and striking out five. He'll be on the short list when the Cards inevitably need someone for their rotation and is a sleeper in NL leagues.