Gibson is a little like the $6 million dollar man, Lee Majors. He is only a sophomore, but there is already talk about major league teams drafting him first overall in 2009.

Gibson said it would be amazing. When you consider what he has battled in his life, you might think the same. You can't describe Kyle Gibson without using the work lanky. He's 6-foot-6. Long and lean with electric pitches.

Missouri Pitching Coach Tony Vitello explained, "I think Kyle's issue isn't velocity it's how good he's going to get at attacking hitters and really being aggressive wtih those 3 dynamic pitches he has."

Great pitches aren't all he has. You can never tell watching him on the mound, but Gibson's spine isn't straight.

"I've had scoliosis my whole life. It doesn't really ever hurt me, but it was different growing up," said Gibson.

Gibson started wearing a back brace in 5th grade, but it never kept him away from baseball.   

Missouri Junior Starting pitcher Aaron Crow stated, "He's like 6-6. Maybe if nothing was wrong with him he'd be 7 feet tall."

"It was bad. I had a back brace and braces on my teeth and glasses. I was just like the bionic man basically is what people called me," explained Gibson.

You can also call his arm bionic. He hits 92 on the radar gun, but his career almost ended in his freshman year of high school.

Gibson remembered, "I went to make a play in the 5th inning. I went to make a throw and the ball went halfway. I heard a little ripping noise. It was terrible."

Gibson fractured his growth plate and needed surgery.

"I cried when it happened, but mostly because I didn't know if I'd be able to play again. I played baseball my whole life. My dad was there the whole time and thinking that my career was over at the age of 15 was just freaking me out," said Gibson.

But after six months of rehab, Gibson and his bionic arm bounced back. His only problem now was trying to take lanky out of his description. Coaches have him eating 6 to 7 thousand calories per day. That's like eating 17 hot dogs.

Gibson stated, "It's probably one of the hardest things I've done in baseball is having to do that. It's harder than any training or running I've ever done."

Gibson makes a habit of throwing obstacles out of his way and he understands the straightest path isn't always the one worth taking.

Coach Vitello stated, "I'm going to steal a quote from his high school coach right before I met with him. He said, 'I don't know how good this kid can get."

Scoliosis affects 2-3% of the population or about 6 to 9 million people in the United States. The scouts aren't concerned about his back.  His less than three era this season proves why.

The Philadelphia Phillies drafted Gibson in the 36th round out of high school, but he decided he didn't want to pass up the opportunity to pitch at Mizzou.