(Photo Credit: Mike Janes/Four Seam Images)
It’s Opening Day 2006 and the best pitching prospect on Long Island is on the mound against Centereach HS. The area behind home plate is packed with representatives from virtually all Major League teams plus cross checkers to watch Glenn Gibson.
The 6’4 southpaw is the son of former New York Mets and New York Yankees LHP Paul Gibson. Glenn is armed with a 90 MPH fastball and–barring injury– will be drafted in June. The scouts and everyone else in attendance are expecting to watch a pitching clinic by the flame-throwing southpaw.
That’s not what happened, and that’s why they play the games.
“I threw four innings and it was just a struggle,” said Gibson. “I think I gave up 11 hits that year and most of them came in that game. If there was a bad time to have my worst outing–that was the day,” he added.
As it ends up, that loss didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. Gibson wound up to bounce back incredibly well. It was his only loss of the season; he would finish with a record of 8-1 with an ERA of 0.29 with 145 strikeouts and two no-hitters on the season. He was the recipient of the Carl Yastrzemski Award.
“At 17, you definitely think it’s the end of the world when you have a game like that,” he said. “But at the same time, it teaches you to keep going and to keep grinding. I had to start over again,” he said.
The two previous seasons Gibson had put himself on the map by performing incredibly well for a dominant Center Moriches team that lost in the Suffolk Class B Championship in 2004 but captured the Suffolk Class B Championship in 2005. They did have their season end in wild fashion on a walk-off grand slam by Nate Lape in the Long Island Championship against Friends Academy. Lape wound up attending University of North Carolina for one season before transferring to Marshall and getting drafted by the Colorado Rockies.
Gibson allowed that home run, which he called “definitely the biggest possible situation in a game.” His brother, Paul, said it was the “only home run I’ve ever seen my brother give up.”
During that 2006 season, he noted that there was between 10-25 scouts at every one of his outings. “It was something else, there was a crazy amount of pressure. The toughest thing was keeping my ego in check.”
Gibson was without question the best player on Long Island that season. He had an adviser at the time, despite the experience that his father had with the process. He added that his father had gone directly from high school to the minors so he wanted to have someone that was open to him going to college or choosing professional baseball.
“I remember when the first round came and went you don’t think much of it, but after that you’re mind starts to wander and you think ‘did I price myself out or did I not pitch well enough,” he said.
Once he heard his name called in the 4th round, it was pure elation. He was selected by the Washington Nationals in the MLB Draft.
“I got a call and they said ‘are you willing to sign in the fourth round’ and that was the most exciting feeling–you work your whole life for that moment.”
In that year, the deadline to sign draft picks was August 15. It has since been changed to July 12–which is a good thing for both parties to prevent negotiations dragging on into the college fall semester. Gibson stated he actually went to his college orientation at the University of Central Florida, unsure if he would sign his contract and go to pro ball.
“I went to the orientation but at 18-years-old, my priorities weren’t where they probably should’ve been,” he admitted. “I didn’t want to be in college for three years,” he added.
He wound up signing his deal and heading to the New York Penn League with the Vermont Lake Monsters. At that moment, things were going very well. Although he signed late and only pitched six innings, it was six shutout innings, allowing just two hits while striking out seven. He was ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the Nationals system after the season.
In 2017, he performed well once again. He compiled a 3.10 ERA with a 1.07 WHIP over 58.0 IP. Now 19-years-old with two pro seasons under his belt, the future was bright especially for a dismal Washington Nationals team.
Things change quickly in baseball, though.
In December 2017, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for Elijah Dukes.
“It was pretty surreal to see my name on the bottom of the ticker of ESPN,” he said.
Unfortunately, things did not work out in Tampa Bay’s system. His numbers just weren’t the same and after four more seasons–and a trade to the Kansas City Royals–in the minor leagues, that was it.
“I got off to a terrible start and I just couldn’t turn the page. The struggles were more mental. After a while you just realize enough is enough. I was getting older and realized this is not working out. I looked at my other options and decided to leave on my own terms. In this game, 99.9 percent of players have the lights turned off on them at some point. Everyone has their time,” he said.
Gibson decided not to go back to college, despite having the option to attend for free.
“The reality is most guys don’t go back after they’re done playing–only about 25 percent do,” he said.
He wound up finding a passion for computer programming as a software engineer. He said he’s glad he made that decision because he needed to get away from the game of baseball.
“The best thing I did was remove myself from the situation. It felt a little weird for a while. I think athletes identify just as a baseball player and you don’t know who you are for a while after you’re done playing,” he said.
The other strange dynamic was forging a relationship with his father post-baseball. Paul is a baseball lifer, through-and-through. In fact, he’s the Assistant to the General Manager with the Kansas City Royals and Glenn estimates he’s on the road 260 days per year.
“I think my dad tried to be conscience that the day would come. He was also super supportive of me but there was a little void for a while. We breathed baseball. Now he’s a grand father and I think he gets that joy from elsewhere besides baseball.”
Gibson has been married for a year and lives with his wife in Center Moriches.
“Everything is where it should be.”
