If there's a telling stat from Gavin Floyd's 2012 season, it's this: The right-hander led the White Sox in starts of at least six scoreless innings (6), but tied for the team lead for starts with five or more earned runs allowed (7).
For the most part, that up-and-down nature has dogged Floyd for the last four seasons. The results have been remarkably consistent, though: His ERA has never been below 4.06 or above 4.37, and he's thrown between 168 and 193 23 innings from 2009-2012.
Another constant for Floyd, who turns 30 on Sunday, has been seeing his name thrown around in trade rumors. The whispers reached such a cacophony last winter that someone created a website IsGavinFloydABlueJay.com, offering nothing more than a "yes" or "no" prompt.
While Floyd didn't go so far as to visit that URL, he hasn't been able to completely block out the noise.
"It goes in waves. Sometimes I pay attention to it, and sometimes I don't," Floyd said. "Anytime you're not sure if you're going to be with the same team that you were last year, you think about it. Ultimately, if it's going to happen, it's going to happen. You really can't ponder too much about it."
Floyd, had his 9.5 million option for 2013 picked up last October, so the upcoming season represents a true contract year. But he said he's not setting any specific ambitions for what may be his final season with the White Sox.
"I've run through so many different goals and stuff like that, I've learned over time that you just gotta live in the present and only try to focus on today," Floyd said. "How am I going to better myself, whether it's working out, looking at video and getting ready for each start. If I could just simplify it, it'll put me in the best position to be successful or consistent."
MLB
While Floyd was encouraged by the results following some late-season tweaks, there still were blips. Before throwing seven shutout innings to end the season in Cleveland, Floyd issued five walks in five innings against Tampa Bay. He bookended 7 23 shutout innings against Toronto with starts in which he walked 11 and gave up six runs in 11 23 innings.
Still, Floyd's overall body of work hasn't dipped below league average, as general manager Rick Hahn -- citing Floyd's WAR -- pointed out. But given Floyd's ceiling, those pitfalls are often what's focused on when examining his numbers.
"You can see him throw seven, eight innings of no-hit caliber ball, and then there will be some shorter outings where he gets blown up a little bit," Hahn said. "When you have that kind of stuff, when you have the ability to throw that length of shutout and quality outings, we know that's in there."
That consistency is what's been missing during Floyd's tenure with the White Sox, but he's hoping that going into 2013 without putting any pressure on himself will lead to the results his team is looking for.
"You just try to have a clear mind and ignore whatever just happened, just keep grinding it out and push because you know things will turn around," Floyd said.