Stringer, you said something I've been thinking for a time now but was hesitant to actually say, the fact that Gibson might end up a top of the rotation starter, #1 or 2.

I dismiss 2013 entirely. Despite calls to call him up early before he shot all his bullets....NEVER understood that analogy...I thought the Twins handled him well, following his surgery rehab, working things out, stretching out, simply building up innings and endurance. Ryan and Gardenhire would never admit it, but I thought his rather lousy 2013 with the big league club was about learning, working, and building himself up.

I've listened to games and watched games when Gibson was at his best and his worst. Despite all the inconsistencies he showed this past season, his final numbers and W-L record show that he was more good than bad in his "rookie" season. And really, he was a rookie save for a couple innings pitched in '13.

It would be trite to say that when Gibson was ON he looked anywhere from good to almost dominating. You could say that about almost any pitcher couldn't you? Except, when Gibson was ON, which was more often than he was "off", you could see real flashes. Flashes that passed the eye and gut test to tell you that if he could just figure out a couple things, if he could just find a little more consistency, there was something there just ready to take charge.

If Gibson does what I think he will do, what I believe you also think he will do, he will plant himself just behind Hughes at some point soon as the Twins second best SP, ahead of a healthy Nolasco. Or possibly as the Twins #3 SP if there is a big trade or FA target.

Not sure Gibson is a front of the rotation guy, not a true ace. He could be the Twins ace two years from now when Hughes is gone, but being a team's #1 and being a true #1 aren't necessarily the same thing.

That being said, I agree that Gibson can and should improve. We saw him make strong strides from 2013 into 2014, and I except him to continue to improve in 2015. We may not see more GREAT starts from him, but hopefully he can turn some of his clunker starts into mediocre starts. If he can do that, we'll see vastly improved numbers from him after next season, and he'll have securely lived up to being a solid mid-rotation guy who flashes glimpses of something better. I'm just not convinced he'll ever become consistently elite.

Unless Gibson can increase his K rate, I'm not sure he can become elite.  He needs to develop an offspeed pitch he can get K's with.  Radke struck out guys at a higher rate earlier in his career at a time when guys didn't strike out much.  Being that he is already 27, I'm not sure how much upside he has from here.  He can be a solid #3, with #2 upside if he can develop an "out" pitch.