Kyle Gibson (rightfully) named Texas Rangers “Player of the Month”

Hot off the best month of his Texas Rangers career, current staff ace Kyle Gibson received a rather neat accolade from some of the writers and TV/radio broadcasters who cover the team on a regular basis.

According to a poll conducted by said media personalities, Gibson was named the Rangers’ “April Player of the Month”:

As Rangers Executive VP of Communication John Blake mentions in his tweet, Gibson had a simply surreal stretch of outings during the month of April. Making the start in six games, Gibson went 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA and a 1.140 WHIP. He’s logged at least 6.0 innings pitched in each of his last five starts, and he’s yet to allow a single home run this season.

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Pretty good!

While Gibson’s recent run of elite form has been much appreciated, it’s also been rather surprising. This is a pitcher who struggled mightily during his first season with the Rangers – someone who hasn’t even really been viewed as an above average starter since his time with Minnesota back in 2018.

After watching him pitch to the tune of a 5.35 ERA across 12 starts in 2020, fans were feeling pretty down about the free agent signing in its entirety (Gibson signed a three-year deal worth $28 million during the post-2019 offseason).

Gibson also got absolutely rocked during his first start of the 2021 season, and outing where he allowed 5 runs to cross the plate while recording just one measly out.

After that disaster of an Opening Day start, I don’t think anyone would have believed me if I had told them he’d be sat atop the MLB as one of the best overall pitchers in baseball by the end of April.

Texas Rangers RHP Kyle Gibson had himself quite the impressive month of April.

However, since that ugly first start, Gibson has been a perfect example of consistency and poise on the mound. He’s yet to allow more than one earned run during a game since the Opening Day debacle, and he pitched an absolute gem against the Baltimore Orioles on April 14th, going 8.0 scoreless while striking out six.

With the horrors of Opening Day now fully in the rearview mirror, Gibson has quickly blossomed into the type of pitcher that could fetch the Rangers back a rather sweet batch of prospects at the trade deadline, if that’s the route the Texas front office goes with the veteran right-hander.

Gibson still has one final year left on his current deal, but there might not be a better time to milk some value out of the starting pitcher than this season. It’s unlikely that he’ll keep up this level of form for much longer, and teams always end up “overpaying” for pitching around the trade deadline.

Regardless of what happens with Gibson’s future in Texas, his dominant month of April is much deserving of some praise. He was exceptional – here’s to hoping he can continue to string along productive starts.