2k19: Lucas Giolito

[onejayhawk]

Now he's a post-surgery prospect. 2019 was ugly: 6.13 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 125 K in 173+ IP. He turned things around August, 3.86 ERA, only to collapse late in the season. The August recovery prompted this article: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/luca...ng-his-season/

This is a lot of words and images about a pitcher who remains a work in progress. Giolito still has to prove himself, still has to prove he can stay ahead of his opponents, and then put them away. Again, I wrote good things about Giolito in March, and then he was dreadful. The mission isn’t yet accomplished. But Giolito, at least, is finding something in 2018 that he can be proud of. While he never got demoted to the minors, he seems to have taken steps to salvage what otherwise would’ve been a lost and tremendously disappointing season.

This was before the September collapse. Still, we have seen other pitchers finally figure out how to use their stuff. Carlos Corrasco burned a lot of fantasy players. Giolito is still only 24 years old. What will his age 25 season look like?

J

[Gregg]

If he has a bad Spring he will be waver wire fodder.

[onejayhawk]

That depends on the depth of the league. He'll be an innings horse as long he stays healthy. That has value in deep leagues.

What if the spring gives hope?

J

[Gregg]

That depends on the depth of the league. He'll be an innings horse as long he stays healthy. That has value in deep leagues.

What if the spring gives hope?

J

Bad whip, worse era, not many strikes. I hope he has a hot spring so the owner keeps him.

[TS Garp]

From a fantasy perspective, he has a troubling combo of giving up a lot of hr's, which elevates his era and a low k/9 rate, which limits his upside. He reminds me a bit of Kyle Gibson, who finally took a pretty big step forward this year, but still seems to have a somewhat modest ceiling. Of course, Gibson debuted in the majors at age 25 and Giolito only just turned 24, so perhaps he'll figure it out more quickly, but for next year, I see a low-floor/low-ceiling player.

[onejayhawk]

He has guaranteed playing time, injuries permitting, but bad ratios and modest counting stats. So, we are talking about a player in the 300s and that because of his stuff.

J

[Hammer]

Nice start to 2019 despite the short DL stint. Has Lucas figured something out or has he gotten lucky pitching to some of the lesser offenses thus far?

[Ken]

Nice start to 2019 despite the short DL stint. Has Lucas figured something out or has he gotten lucky pitching to some of the lesser offenses thus far?

3.06 FIP, he's pitching better than his ERA suggests. Lots of strikeouts. Velocity is up. Looks pretty real.

He had a couple bad games in early April and it wouldn't surprise me if he had another stinker now and then. But on the whole I think he's turning into the pitcher that the White Sox expected when they traded for him.

[fuhrdog]

3.06 FIP, he's pitching better than his ERA suggests. Lots of strikeouts. Velocity is up. Looks pretty real.

He had a couple bad games in early April and it wouldn't surprise me if he had another stinker now and then. But on the whole I think he's turning into the pitcher that the White Sox expected when they traded for him.

Agree. While still very risky, I think he has figured out that his change is his best pitch and throws his FB and CB less. If the velocity bump holds he just might have a very good season.

[fuhrdog]

Just saw this.

https://www.pitcherlist.com/going-deep-is-lucas-giolito-now-a-giodude/