Sawyer Gipson –Throughout high school and college, Long aspired to be a doctor. He keeps a detailed notebook as part of his daily routine to balance his schedule, prepares for baseball games like a surgeon would prepare for an operation, and competes as hard as anyone when he takes the mound.
He has something unique about him.
“It’s not normal at all,” said Jack Powell, a veteran scout with the Minnesota Twins who discovered Gipson-Long at Etowah High School in Georgia more than a half-decade ago. “You don’t find many baseball players aspiring to be doctors.”
The 25-year-old Mercer University pre-medical student and right-handed pitcher was selected by the Twins in the sixth round of the 2019 draft. He also has a few nasty pitches and a bright future with the Detroit Tigers.
Gipson-Long, who was described as “very routine-oriented” by one of his former pitching coaches, joined the Tigers at the 2022 trade deadline (from the Twins in exchange for reliever Michael Fulmer) and made his major league debut in September 2023.
He was the final trade acquisition of former general manager Al Avila. The Tigers fired Avila and replaced him with Scott Harris, president of baseball operations.
Gipson-Long had a 2.70 ERA with eight walks and 26 strikeouts over 20 innings in four starts. In the final month of the season, his strikeout rate of 31.7% ranked 16th out of 128 pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched.
Gipson-Long will compete for a spot in the Opening Day starting rotation in 2024 during spring training. He currently appears to be a frontrunner for one of five jobs, and he could settle into a mid-rotation role with top-of-the-rotation upside.
“The biggest thing that was really cool to see was how detailed and routine-oriented he is,” said Peter Larson, a pitching coach in the Twins organization who worked with Gipson-Long in 2021 and 2022. “He keeps a journal and takes notes on everything.” He was just a different type of kid, perhaps a little more advanced and mature than some of the other boys. He was built on a solid foundation.”
The personal journal is divided into sections on each page.
He begins by noting the date.
Gipson-Long creates a checklist of what he intends to accomplish during the day in the top left section. To stay on track, he keeps a checklist based on his schedule, down to the minute. He writes what he intends to focus on throughout the day in the top right section.
“Maybe a cue of throwing, an idea that I like, a quote that I read or an affirmation to take me through the day,” she said. “After I’m done with my work for the day, I’ll write down, in that same section, how I felt, what I did well, what I didn’t do well and what I can improve on.”
He goes back to his journal at night to fill out the gratitude section on the bottom left. He writes about everything from philosophical questions to things he is grateful for in his life.
Following his starts, Gipson-Long prints his game stats in a separate section with key takeaways.
“I can externalize it a little bit,” Gipson-Long explained. “It simply returns me to a more neutral state.” I want to be as consistent as possible, never going too high or too low.”
The journal has been a part of Gipson-Long’s professional baseball routine for a few years, but the content on the pages expanded from a couple of lines to multiple sections in the 2023 season. All of his journals are saved.
It’s one example of his preparation for life and baseball success.
“There are two sides to the scouting card,” Powell, a veteran scout, explained. “The tools and command on one side, but the makeup on the other.” In those makeup boxes, he checks all sevens and eights (on a 20-80 scouting scale).”
His most effective pitch
Meanwhile, Gipson-Long’s changeup has been a part of his arsenal since Powell helped sign him to the Twins in 2019, but the 86 mph weapon he displayed with the Tigers wasn’t always his best secondary pitch.
It was previously a work-in-progress pitch, with his slider serving as the primary secondary pitch.
“What an improved changeup could bring to that fastball to pair with the slider was the appeal,” Larson, now the Twins’ Triple-A pitching coach, said. “Something that goes arm-side is also good so that you cover the entire plate.” We experimented with various grip variations.”
