His original thread is here, archived in mothballs for all eternity. The last post there came on the 3-year anniversary of the release of the very first iPhone.
Unfortunately, after that 2010 post, Derrik finished the year for Greenville on a .218/.331/.287/.618 slump over his final 259 PA in 56 games. He followed that up with a .240/.321/.306/.627 season for Salem in 2011, and back-to-back disappointments for Portland in 2012 (.225/.304/.272/.576) and 2013 (.250/.348/.342/.690).
New Year, New Gibson. He's spent the bulk of 2014 repeating at AA, this time with the strange scent of success (.302/.390/.395/.785 in 340 PA). The season was highlighted by his selection to the Eastern League All-Star Team, and he clubbed a homer in the AA All-Star Game. Also, Derrik finally got his first taste of AAA with a 2-game stint in mid-July, enjoying a 3-hit, 2-RBI performance in the latter contest. At the start of August he returned to Pawtucket, where he remains (.276/.281/.586/.867 in 32 PA over 8 games).
This past weekend, Kevin Thomas of the Portland Press-Herald celebrated Gibson's resurgence:
So how excited should we be over Gibson? Is he really finally demonstrating the promise of that $600,000 signing bonus the Sox paid him fresh out of high school?
He started the year with the same old same old (.257/.336/.274/.611 in 127 PA through May). But once the calendar flipped to June, he emerged from the phone booth donning a red cape and a huge "S" on his chest (.385/.478/.564/1.042 in his next 139 PA through July 7) with multiple hits in 16 of 31 games. However from July 8 through month's end, his AA numbers returned to familiar levels (.231/.351/.292/.607).
So while his performance at AAA appears decent enough solid in a limited sample (owing largely to a triple & a pair of solo HR driving his SLG), it's really been a 5-week hot stretch with the Sea Dogs that's made his season. He's also yet to display any sustained power (.086 ISO at AA this season).
Still, he's become an immensely versatile player, with the proven ability to cover nearly as many positions on the diamond as Brock Holt (the only non-battery spot that Gibson hasn't played yet is first base, but I have no doubt he could handle it if asked).
He's already going to be an attractive minor league free agent for many teams should he choose to hit the market this winter. But if he finishes August strong at the plate for the PawSox, he could find himself on the short list of candidates getting serious consideration for the 7 or so prospect vacancies on the Red Sox 40-man roster.
Unfortunately, after that 2010 post, Derrik finished the year for Greenville on a .218/.331/.287/.618 slump over his final 259 PA in 56 games. He followed that up with a .240/.321/.306/.627 season for Salem in 2011, and back-to-back disappointments for Portland in 2012 (.225/.304/.272/.576) and 2013 (.250/.348/.342/.690).
New Year, New Gibson. He's spent the bulk of 2014 repeating at AA, this time with the strange scent of success (.302/.390/.395/.785 in 340 PA). The season was highlighted by his selection to the Eastern League All-Star Team, and he clubbed a homer in the AA All-Star Game. Also, Derrik finally got his first taste of AAA with a 2-game stint in mid-July, enjoying a 3-hit, 2-RBI performance in the latter contest. At the start of August he returned to Pawtucket, where he remains (.276/.281/.586/.867 in 32 PA over 8 games).
This past weekend, Kevin Thomas of the Portland Press-Herald celebrated Gibson's resurgence:
“It takes some guys longer to figure out who they are about, being able to be the best them,” said Rich Gedman, the Sea Dogs’ hitting coach and former Red Sox catcher. “Everybody can see (Gibson’s) tools. He can run. He can throw. He can field. He can hit. And he’s been diligent.”
Gibson can become a free agent this winter so the Red Sox need to figure out if they want to keep him around. Of course there was an expectation that Gibson would have reached higher than Triple-A by now. But that’s the unfairness of expectations, especially for players coming directly from high school.
In Gibson’s early years in Portland, then-manager Kevin Boles often said, “Our job is to make sure Derrik Gibson knows how good he is.”
Gibson remembers. “He was saying that I could be more positive, look at what I could bring to the game. … I try to be humble and sometimes I bring myself down too far.”
When he relaxed and stopped trying to do too much – like pulling the ball with power instead of just hitting it up the middle – Gibson began to see results.
“I always felt like it was right there. I just needed to be consistent,” he said. “All the time going to the (batting) cage and working, I was thinking it was going to click.”
That consistency came with being positive. He could enjoy a 4-for-4 performance for what it was, and also move on from the 0-for-4 nights.
“He’s gone through trials where he fought his way through,” Gedman said. “He dipped a little bit and he could have gotten away from (his approach) and started to change, but he didn’t.”
Interestingly, Gibson has emerged offensively while switching positions on defense, moving from the infield to center field. With his athleticism, he has made some outstanding plays.
Gibson said he hopes to re-sign with the Red Sox. He’s comfortable with the organization. And the Red Sox have seen him grow, finally turning those raw tools into production.
“Expectations are one of the challenges of the game,” Gedman said. “But you have to keep it simple. Some things are finally making sense to him. In the past five years he’s been finding out who Derrik Gibson really is.”
So how excited should we be over Gibson? Is he really finally demonstrating the promise of that $600,000 signing bonus the Sox paid him fresh out of high school?
He started the year with the same old same old (.257/.336/.274/.611 in 127 PA through May). But once the calendar flipped to June, he emerged from the phone booth donning a red cape and a huge "S" on his chest (.385/.478/.564/1.042 in his next 139 PA through July 7) with multiple hits in 16 of 31 games. However from July 8 through month's end, his AA numbers returned to familiar levels (.231/.351/.292/.607).
So while his performance at AAA appears decent enough solid in a limited sample (owing largely to a triple & a pair of solo HR driving his SLG), it's really been a 5-week hot stretch with the Sea Dogs that's made his season. He's also yet to display any sustained power (.086 ISO at AA this season).
Still, he's become an immensely versatile player, with the proven ability to cover nearly as many positions on the diamond as Brock Holt (the only non-battery spot that Gibson hasn't played yet is first base, but I have no doubt he could handle it if asked).
He's already going to be an attractive minor league free agent for many teams should he choose to hit the market this winter. But if he finishes August strong at the plate for the PawSox, he could find himself on the short list of candidates getting serious consideration for the 7 or so prospect vacancies on the Red Sox 40-man roster.