Texas Rangers: Kyle Gibson continues to justify his newfound “Ace” title

I spoke about in earlier this week when looking at his “Player of the Month” award, but Kyle Gibson was not a pitcher a majority of Texas Rangers fans were feeling confident in following the 2020 campaign. His numbers were rather poor last season, as he finished the year with a 5.35 EA across 12 starts.

While the sample size of 12 starts isn’t something one should really put too much stock into when evaluating pitchers, it’s not like Gibson’s pre-Texas numbers were all that magical either. He had a 4.52 career ERA with the Minnesota Twins from 2013 to 2019, with his lowest single-season ERA being that of a 3.62 in 2018.

However, seven starts and 41.1 innings pitched into the 2021 season, and Gibson isn’t just pitching well – he’s pitching like a full-on Ace.

Kyle Gibson continues to pitch like an “Ace” for the Texas Rangers.

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Gibson is currently 3-0 with a 2.40 ERA and a 1.040 WHIP, and outside of his one disastrous performance on Opening Day, the veteran right-hander has gone at least 6.0 innings in each of his starts this season.

Even last night, a game where Gibson allowed three runs to cross the plate, was another perfect example of how the Ranger’s newfound Ace has blossomed into an elite-caliber arm. Gibson still managed to get through 8.0 full innings of work, striking out eight in the process while saving the team’s bullpen for some extra innings action.

Not every game can be a shutout – outings like this where a pitcher is still able to labor through 100+ pitches is what really defines an “Ace” in my book. The type of gutsy performance that gives the offense a fighting shot in the closing moments of the ballgame (the Rangers were obviously able to pull out the victory last night).

There’s no telling how much longer Gibson’s elite form will last (we haven’t really seen this level of dominance from him before), but in the meantime, enjoy the fact that the Texas Rangers have a true number one on their staff at the moment.