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Lucas Giolito
Born: 07/14/1994 (Age: 22) |
| Bats: Right |
Throws: Right |
| Height: 6' 6" |
Weight: 245 |
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| Big body; stands tall on mound; athletic build; above average arm speed; high-three-quarters slot; arm stab; long extension to plate; minimal activation of lower half; controlled, easy delivery; loses some balance out of stretch; moderate-high leg kick. |
| Jeff Long |
| 07/11/2017 |
| Charlotte Knights (AAA, White Sox) |
| 7/8 |
| 60 |
| 2017 |
| Yes |
| FA |
70 |
92-94 |
95 |
Mid-90s offering with late life; fairly straight; occasionally arm-side run at lower velocities; better command to glove-side; moved around the zone with ease; sometimes loses the ball up and to arm-side; holds velocity well; average command; Not the elite offering it once was, but uses the pitch well to set up other offerings. |
| CB |
70 |
79-81 |
82 |
Hard-spinning curve; excellent depth; 11-5 shape; lots of tilt, significant horizontal movement; will throw in any count; able to bury in the dirt for strikes; occasionally slows down arm when trying to throw for a strike; throws to both LHH and RHH; flashes plus-plus; shows the potential to be an elite offering, but needs stronger consistency to rely on it more. |
| SL |
60 |
85-87 |
88 |
New pitch in mix; significant tilt and depth; sweeps across the zone; can throw for strikes or whiffs; above-average velocity; flashes plus; not a wipeout pitch; new velocity profile helps fastball and curve play up. |
| CH |
50 |
81-83 |
83 |
Below-average offering; moderate fade; uses to keep LHH off-balance; replicates arm speed well; command below average; could be a ML-average pitch long term. |
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This new Giolito is still very, very good. He's just not a dominant stuff guy anymore, showing elite pitchability and getting outs by outsmarting hitters rather than overpowering them. He uses his two breaking balls to change the hitter's eye level, often pitching backward and starting hitters with breaking balls to get to the fastball later in the plate appearance. Sometimes became too predictable, with hitters taking big cuts on first pitch curves.
His fastball-curve-slider combination is major-league quality, with only consistency and command potentially holding him back. Whether or not his changeup will develop enough to get opposite-handed hitters out enough is an open question. There's also a question of whether or not getting his lower half more engaged might lead to more velocity, or if it would undo some of the command gains he's seen.
Giolito brings a maturity to the mound that is clearly evident as he works. He works methodically, setting hitters up with purpose pitches, to maximize the effectiveness of pitches later in the plate appearance. His margin for error is much lower than it once was, but he seems to have bridged that gap with a more cerebral approach. Right now Giolito is a likely mid-rotation starter, and at 23 years old there's reason to think he can still improve. The ceiling just isn't quite as high as it once was.
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