I’m writing this in the wake of an almost-quality start for…Gavin Floyd. Yes, that Gavin Floyd. The Gavin Floyd with the BB rate of 5.1/9 IP. The Gavin Floyd who was removed from a game against the Nationals last year after almost hitting Vinny Castilla in the head (unintentionally) on two consecutive pitches, then actually hitting him in the chest (again, unintentionally) on ball three. I don’t know…that might explain his 10.07 ERA, or his 1.77 WHIP. Either way, his disgusting lack of command wasn’t just an MLB thing. He went down to AAA and went 6-9/6.17 ERA/1.61 WHIP. Even Dewon Brazelton had that beat.

So why should you be looking at Floyd? Gavin’s a former 4th overall pick (2001 draft). He’s 24, and he’s kept his BB rate below 3 at least once in the minors. But his command’s always been an issue. Still, his career minor league WHIP is 1.29. He obviously has/had the stuff to be effective, but he’s just never done anything with it on a consistent basis.

Now he’s a year removed from an embarrassing rookie season, and a AAA-flop. I don’t know if Gavin’s too bright, but even he’d have to acknowledge that something’s wrong. I know throwing strikes isn’t easy, but this guy’s been pitching his whole life. Plus, he’s worked with a succession of MLB qualified pitching coaches. All right, they might have “messed up” his mechanics by recommending new things. But it’s not like they’re telling him to close his eyes and flip it underhand. All these guys have seen Gavin on film; they’ve diagnosed his (many) problems. And no one’s been able to fix him. When I saw Gavin pitch last year he was falling all over the mound; every pitch found him at a new landing spot. You think that’s coaching? That’s mental. Maybe Gavin couldn’t handle the pressure. Maybe he’s one of those guys - and this has certainly been suggested - who doesn’t care what the coaches say. If he did that in the past, he’s not gonna try it anymore. He hit bottom.

He was 1-1 with a 3.89 ERA, 32 H and 21/17 K/BB in 34 2/3 IP for Arecibo of the Puerto Rican League this year. This spring he’s 2.30 ERA/.228 OBA overall in 15.2 IP. He’s given up 13 hits and his K:BB is 14:7. 7. But he walked 2 in 5 IP against Detroit on Tuesday, and Kd 5 against 2 hits. He said he benefited from a meeting last week with general manager Pat Gillick and first-year pitching coach Rich Dubee. “They told me to just let it loose,” Floyd said. “They told me to trust my arm and just look at the mitt and throw it. It’s all about just being simple and throwing at the mitt.”

That’s way too simplistic for my liking. He also said, “I am just trying to get my mechanics together this year, instead of worrying about making the club. When I met with (Gillick), we came up with a game plan and some things to think about. If I get sent down to the minors, I’ll do whatever I have to do to get back up here.”

Gavin had no mechanics last year. And the fact that he walked 17 in 34 IP of winterball should tell you something about the kind of (lack of) progress he made between two cities and two coaching staffs in ‘05. Are we really supposed to believe his problems were magically cured - palliated is a better word - by “throw it to the mitt?”

I want to see Gavin get it together, and I believe he will. But I need some proof of his maturity. Can he work with his pitching coach? Can he repeat his delivery? He needs to go back to AAA and prove he’s ready for MLB. And the only way I’ll buy that is to see his walk rate drop into a reasonable range. Otherwise he’s just getting lucky.