Gavin Floyd Keeps Proving His Doubters Wrong

Say what you want about the stats.

Examine the BABIP, the xERA, and everything else, but Gavin Floyd just keeps getting the job done.

The White Sox hurler won his 16th game Tuesday night. An important, 6-2 victory where Floyd went seven innings giving up two earned runs on nine hits while striking out four and walking zero.

Floyd has pitched consistently well the entire season, only losing back-to-back starts once, and through it all detractors have insisted that Floyd's success wouldn't last.

Fellow writer Patrick Nolan wrote a very good article four months ago on why Floyd's success may not last. You can find it here.

The piece examined Floyd's exceptionally low BABIP and his strikeouts per nine innings pitched ratio, which were similar to that of very below-average pitchers.

But the thing is, that regardless of what those stats suggest about Floyd's success, whether it says he will fall flat on his face or have a nice, successful career, the fact of the matter is that Floyd gets the job done.

While Floyd's numbers are a lot easier to examine now that he has nearly completed his first full season, all that matters is that every single time Floyd takes the mound he gives the White Sox a chance to win.

Sure, his ERA has dropped considerably, his strikeout numbers have improved, and he's allowing a lot less home runs, but the fact that he's 16-7 is the only number that matters to the White Sox at this given time.

The numbers can be debatable as to whether or not Floyd will have long-term success in the Major Leagues. It's possible, as Nolan points out, that Floyd will falter because his BABIP is remarkably low, but right now it doesn't matter.

People who look too long-term tend to fail in the short-term, and right now Floyd is the most consistent pitcher in the White Sox rotation, and is incredibly important to a team fighting for a playoff spot.

Look, I'm not arguing that Floyd is a Cy Young candidate, because he's not. I'm not arguing that he's a future ace, because his numbers might suggest that he won't be. But he definitely goes out every time and gives his team a chance to win.

His record of 16-7 absolutely has something to do with the run support the White Sox have given him, but consider that the team is 21-9 overall in games that Floyd has started. Put that down to a .500 record and the White Sox aren't fighting for a playoff spot right now.

So Floyd may not be a superstar, he may not be an ace, and he may not be a Cy Young candidate, but he's been one of the most valuable players, arguably the most valuable pitcher, to a team on the brink of the playoffs, and to the White Sox and their fans, that's all that matters.