White Sox Lucas Giolito focusing on consistency, knows MLB expectations

Chicago White Sox prospect Lucas Giolito may be struggling with his new organization, but he understands the improvements that must be made and what to expect in the big leagues.

Lucas Giolito may technically be a rookie, but he is no stranger to the Major Leagues. The White Sox starting pitcher has already experienced the peaks and valleys of sold-out stadiums and charter flights.

“Going up there I didn’t have that much success. I did well in my debut and then after that, I struggled,” reminisced Giolito, who made six MLB appearances last year. “I’d say I learned a lot about big league hitters.”

Giolito, MLB.com’s former top prospect, was the centerpiece of one of last offseason’s marquee trade. The California native, along with teammates Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning, was shipped from Washington to Chicago for center fielder Adam Eaton.

Being the new player in the clubhouse can be hard for anyone, regardless of service time or prospect ranking. However, this was not the case for Giolito.

“For me personally, I got out there and all the players in the clubhouse, from day one, were awesome,” he said. “They took us all in.”

“[There was] no real awkwardness, or anything like that. It was a smooth transition from top to bottom — coaches, front office staff and then the players, of course.”

Unlike in the clubhouse, Giolito’s on-field transition has been rocky. He allowed three or more earned runs in this season’s first six starts and currently owns career worsts in ERA (5.38) and losses (9).

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“I really wanted to live up to expectations,” Giolito said. “I got into bad mechanical funks that I was trying to come out of. I kind of see it like a case of trying too hard — trying too hard to fix problems instead of letting the natural talent take over.”

One area Giolito is extensively working on is control. Outside of his stint with Washington, his walks per nine innings sits at a career-high of 4.45 with Triple-A Charlotte.

“I’m trying to command the ball better. In my opinion, I’m leaving a few too many fastballs up over the middle of the plate,” he admitted. “Early in the season, I was having a lot of trouble with control in general, walking guys. I’m trying to bring that down.”

Standing at 6’6″, Giolito is known for his dynamic fastball, which has touched triple-digits, as well as his ‘bulldog mentality’ on the mound. Though, with his height comes issues of consistency in his delivery and staying compact mid-motion.

“Just being able to repeat mechanics and finish pitches properly,” said Giolito of another point of improvement. “I have a tendency to come off my pitches sometimes and get a little quick. I just have to trust I’m going to execute that pitch to where I want it to be and finish through.”

Since the start of the 2016 season, Giolito’s prospect ranking among MLB.com, Baseball America and ESPN has fallen. Granted, once a player sits at the top, there is only one direction to go; yet, the 23-year old was placed 75th in Baseball America’s 2017 mid-season rankings — a 50-position plummet from February.

Despite analysts and writers starting to devalue his talent, Giolito says he does not base his potential on opinions.

“The way the prospects thing works is that you always have new guys coming up,” he said. “For me as a player, that stuff is all talk. I would say when I was younger I got caught up in it a little bit more [and] put a little too much pressure on myself to perform.

“Now, I have a little more experience under my belt. The lists and the rankings don’t really mean too much to me anymore. All I know is that I want to go out there and win baseball games for my team. If you can do that, you’re going to be in the Big Leagues.”

The White Sox have acquired more young talent following the trade which sent Giolito to the Midwest. In fact, some consider Chicago to have the most talented farm system in all of baseball.

Nevertheless, no White Sox prospect has more MLB experience than Giolito and that shall assist him in enjoying a more successful second stint.

“You can’t get away with many mistakes up there. I have that knowledge, and I know that, especially at the big league level, the game can speed up on you a lot quicker than it does in the Minor Leagues,” Giolito said. “[I’m] just keeping that stuff in mind, and working on slowing the game down to my pace and having control over the game.”

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While a 3-9 record and 5.38 ERA loom negatively, one must remember Giolito is still in his first full season at Triple-A. In recent history, the likes of Corey Kluber, David Price and Jake Arrieta struggled in the International League.

Thus, the Harvard-Westlake High School product, who dazzled scouts before the 2012 MLB Draft, is by no means incapable of realizing the lofty expectations placed upon him in previous years.

“My season, with the way the numbers are, is not going the way I want,” Giolito said. “But, all I’m focused on is coming out here every day and working on getting better.”