Middle Georgia

Athletes who are the children of coaches often possess a depth of knowledge their peers lack. When athletes grow up immersed in the fundamentals, the strategies and intricacies of their sport, they develop a different level of understanding and appreciation. That advantage often pays big dividends later in their careers. If such background knowledge is combined with superb talent, the mixture can be incredible.

Just ask anyone who plays against Tyler Gibson and the Stratford Academy Eagles. Gibson, at 6’2”, 175 pounds, has a lot of frame to fill out. He’s also strong and versatile. He is a sure-handed infielder with a sharp, accurate arm and can hit for average and power. He’s also the son of Craig Gibson, head baseball coach at Mercer University.

Tyler Gibson was born in West Palm Beach, Florida, but his family moved to Macon when Craig Gibson took a position as an assistant baseball coach at Mercer, his alma mater. It would be Coach Gibson’s second stint at Mercer and, to date, his last. He took over the Mercer program when Barry Myers resigned after the 2003 season. As a result, Tyler Gibson was literally raised on the Mercer baseball field. “I’ve done something with baseball my whole life. I’ve always been at Mercer games and around the program,” he says.

Tyler Gibson played baseball around Macon, mainly with the North Macon All-Stars, until he was about 14 years old. Then he headed up I-75 to the vaunted East Cobb program, where he played until he was 17. “East Cobb was fun. From June 1 until August, we played over 50 games. The competition was good and we played in the baseball stadiums at Georgia, Auburn, Georgia Tech and places like that. We faced a lot of good pitching and I learned to really play hard and play as a team,” he says.

The East Cobb program was reinforcing in a new and exciting way what Gibson had been learning his whole life. It’s hard to imagine receiving better instruction than that from his father, widely regarded as one of the brightest baseball minds in the Southeast. Gibson has also studied under Jeff Treadway, Stratford’s former head baseball coach, for two years. Yes, that’s the same Jeff Treadway who played in the major leagues for seven seasons, including two years (1991 and 1992) with the Atlanta Braves.

What has Gibson learned from these coaches? “The game deserves respect. Every time you step on the field, you play hard and you play the game the right way. My dad has been a huge influence on my game. We still work together a lot but he doesn’t get to come to very many of my games because of Mercer’s schedule. Dad only sees about four or five games per year,” he says.

Though he would love nothing more than to play in front of his father, Gibson knows that isn’t possible. Baseball can be cruel, and at this time of the year, very demanding. Gibson plows ahead, honoring his father by giving everything he has on the field.

Gibson is more than just a tall kid with a father for a coach. Craig Gibson was an excellent baseball player at Mercer and still ranks near the top of several Bears statistical categories. Tyler Gibson inherited his father’s baseball skills and has worked hard to become a very good player. For the most part, Gibson is Stratford’s starting shortstop, though he has a little experience playing in the outfield. He is immensely talented with a unique skill set: he throws right-handed, bats left-handed and has above average power from the left side. Those qualities, coupled with the fact that he is a very good defensive infielder, make Gibson very attractive to colleges and pro scouts alike. “He’s the kind of guy that professional teams want to invest money in. He’s very intriguing to pro scouts. He’s opened a lot of their eyes,” says Treadway. “There aren’t many left-handed hitting infielders with power.”

Craig Gibson agrees. “When you put together his speed, power from the left side and the fact that he’s a good infielder, you have a very good player – my son or not,” he says.

Despite his power, Tyler Gibson usually hits lead-off. Last season, he hit .456 with eight home runs and 22 RBI. He was named All-Middle Georgia GISA First Team for his work as a junior.

The Eagles have been up and down since Gibson has been in the program. His freshman year, Stratford went to the Final Four of the state playoffs. The next couple of years, the Eagles weren’t as fortunate. During Gibson’s sophomore and junior seasons, Stratford made the playoffs but lost in the first round. As with any senior, Gibson would like to end his high school career on a positive note and finish with a strong run through the postseason. “We’ve got good chemistry. I hope we go a lot farther,” he says.

This season, Gibson says he would like his Eagles to be successful and he would like to do his part to make his teammates around him better players. “Of course I want to hit well and field well. I’d love to hit around .400 or .500. But if that doesn’t happen, as long as we’re winning, I’m fine with that,” he says. Stratford was 6-5 on the season as of late March. Despite the nearly even number of wins and losses, Gibson was feeling good about the season. “We’ve played some tough teams and faced some really good pitching,” he says.

One of Gibson’s goals for going to the East Cobb program was to see exactly where he was with his game. Given the high level of baseball he had been around all his life, he was naturally thinking about playing after high school. But there are a lot of different levels of college baseball, and Gibson wanted to know exactly where he would fit. Playing at East Cobb was an important experience for him. He learned how to deal with adversity and compete against the best players in the Southeast. From his sophomore year to junior year, he made perhaps his biggest leap. That’s when Gibson really began coming into his own as a baseball player. He credits his coach with the East Cobb Yankees, James Beavers, as being a tremendous influence during that time.

Soon enough, Gibson discovered where he was with his game. It all started when the Division I offers began pouring in. LSU, Georgia Tech, Florida and other major college programs wanted him. But his father wanted him at Mercer. Gibson was torn. He wanted to play on a big stage in those big Division I ballparks, but he also wanted to play for his father. In the end, they both thought the best thing might be for Gibson to play somewhere else.

Gibson initially committed to LSU but says he finally decided he wanted to be closer to home, so he changed his mind from LSU to Georgia Tech. “Baton Rouge is eight hours from home. Georgia Tech is a lot closer. It’s a great place and I already know some of the guys on the team,” he says. To many, it’s a big deal when an athlete changes his mind and de-commits after he’s announced that he will play for a certain school. To Gibson, it was nothing personal against the Bayou Bengals. He just wanted to be closer to home. “To be truthful, I probably committed a little too early,” he admits, regarding his decision to go to LSU.

There is something else at work regarding Gibson’s baseball career. Perfect Game has him listed as the number-24 prospect in the state, which means that his stock in June’s Major League baseball draft could end up pretty high. Treadway believes that the things at which Gibson excels should translate well into the professional ranks. “He’s an all-around good person. He’s a smart kid, and that’s part of his value as a player. The scouts are very impressed with him as a person,” says Treadway, who sees Gibson as a top-five round pick.

Craig Gibson has spoken with a few teams about his son, but he hasn’t talked money with big league clubs. He has talked about what position Tyler Gibson might play if selected. Some teams would move him to third and others have considered sliding him around to second. Even more have mentioned putting him in the outfield. “The Detroit Tigers told me they would move him to center field immediately,” says Craig Gibson. If his son goes to college, Craig Gibson believes he will stay on the infield. Having an infielder with Tyler Gibson’s bat is a major plus.

Early-round money is good money. Is there a chance Tyler Gibson might opt out of Tech and instead go pro? What kind of draft selection would it take to lure him away from the Ramblin’ Wreck? Gibson is playing his cards close to his vest and won’t say a thing about the draft. “I’m focused on helping Stratford win a state title. Nobody on our team has won a championship and we’d all like to do that,” he says.

His father says that round and bonus would dictate what his son does, but he again stresses that they haven’t discussed money. “I think it will cost clubs a lot of money to get him. And the teams know that. I think Tyler is going to have a big decision to make in June,” he says.

When – or if – Gibson goes to Tech, he isn’t sure what his major will be. He’s thinking business or finance, but he’s in no hurry to decide. “My sister is a junior at Mercer. She still doesn’t know what she wants to do. She couldn’t tell you,” he laughs. •