Kason Gabbard

Infobox MLB player


name=Kason Gabbard
position=Starting pitcher
team=Texas Rangers
number=13
bats=Left
throws=Left
birthdate=birth date and age|1982|4|8
birthplace=city-state|Oxford|Ohio
debutdate=July 22
debutyear=2006
debutteam=Boston Red Sox
statyear=2008 season
stat1label=Win-Loss
stat1value=9-7
stat2label=Earned run average
stat2value=4.53
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=103
teams=
*Boston Red Sox (by|2006-by|2007)
*Texas Rangers (by|2007-present)

Kason Ronald Gabbard (born April 8, 1982 in Oxford, Ohio) is a starting pitcher who plays for the Texas Rangers. He bats and throws left-handed.

High school

Gabbard played high school baseball at Royal Palm Beach High School in city-state|Royal Palm Beach|Florida. His teammates included his current Rangers teammate, catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.cite web|title=Gabbard tastes victory in home debut|work=texas.rangers.mlb.com|url=http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20070807&content_id=2135581&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=tex|date=2007-08-08]

Pre-2007

A 29th-round draft pick by the Boston Red Sox in 2000, Gabbard started the by|2006 season with Boston's Double-A affiliate Portland and posted a 9-2 record with a 2.57 ERA in 13 starts. Promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket on June 23, he went 1-3 with a 4.97 ERA in five starts. He earned a promotion to the Boston Red Sox on July 21 to replace Tim Wakefield, who was on the disabled list. In his major league debut on July 22, he allowed two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings to the Seattle Mariners and was charged with a loss. Gabbard's first major league win was on September 5 against the Chicago White Sox. Gabbard was solid, going 7 shutout innings, surrendering three hits and striking out six in a 1-0 Red Sox win.

Gabbard became the ninth rookie to pitch for the Red Sox in the 2006 season, joining Abe Alvarez, Craig Breslow, Manny Delcarmen, Craig Hansen, Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, David Pauley, and Jermaine Van Buren. He also became the third Triple-A recall to move into Boston's rotation in six weeks, joining Kyle Snyder and Lester. They replaced David Wells and Matt Clement, who were on the disabled list. Likewise, Gabbard joined Pauley as one of two Boston starters to have begun the 2006 season in Double-A Portland.

2007 season

Gabbard was called up from Triple-A Pawtucket to pitch on May 20, mlby|2007, against Atlanta in place of Josh Beckett. He had a good performance allowing 2 runs on 6 hits over 5 innings and got the win. He was then immediately optioned back to Pawtucket after the game. Gabbard started on June 26, 2007, against Seattle in place of Curt Schilling, who was placed on the disabled list. Gabbard had a sub-par performance, earning a no decision, and lasted only 3 1/3 innings allowing 4 runs on 6 hits while walking six and striking out two. Gabbard performed well in his third start of the season on July 2, 2007, allowing three runs on three hits while walking four and striking out five, earning the win.

He tossed his first complete game shutout on July 16, 2007, against the Kansas City Royals in a 4-0 victory, allowing only 3 hits, 1 walk, [ [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap;_ylt=AnCxCS8hmEhb3hjkNH8_5ZMT0bYF?gid=270716102&prov=ap MLB - Kansas City Royals/Boston Red Sox Recap Monday July 16, 2007 - Yahoo! Sports ] ] and striking out 8.

Gabbard was traded to the Texas Rangers on July 31, 2007, for relief pitcher Eric Gagné, the same day the Atlanta Braves traded his high school teammate Saltalamacchia to Texas.

Gabbard made his Ranger debut on August 2, 2007, against the Cleveland Indians. He was pinned for the loss as the Indians won the game 5-0. Less than three weeks later, on August 22, Gabbard was the winning pitcher in a game where the Rangers outscored the Baltimore Orioles 30-3, the most runs scored in a game in the modern era.

2008 season

On May 8, mlby|2008, in a game against the Seattle Mariners, Gabbard was charged on the mound by Seattle's Richie Sexson. Sexson threw his batting helmet at Gabbard after Gabbard's head-high pitch towards Sexson. Sexson later stated he was frustrated and had a lot going on in his head, including his club's recent struggles. Sexson was suspended six games for the incident, but he successfully appealed it and the suspension was dropped to five games.

Pitching style

Gabbard has the standard repertoire of fastball, curveball, and changeup, occasionally throwing a slider. Gabbard's fastball hits the high-80s, his changeup works the best low and away on right-handed hitters, and his slow curveball is especially effective against lefties. Not a power strikeout pitcher, Gabbard has been compared to Mark Buehrle and Kenny Rogers.

References

External links

* [http://www.minorleaguesplits.com/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?pl=451257 Minor League Splits and Situational Stats]