White Sox: Former Pitcher John Danks Hopes to Pitch in 2017
By Matt Manetti
Former White Sox pitcher is aiming at a comeback in 2017. He started 2016 with an 0-4 record and was subsequently released. The lefty spent 10 seasons with the organization.
Former Chicago White Sox starting pitcher John Danks is aiming to pitch in 2017, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. He spent 10 seasons with the organization. The Sox released him in May after he started 0-4 with a 7.25 ERA.
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Danks’ best season came in 2010 when he went 15-11 with a 3.72 ERA in 213 innings. Looking at his stats, he was never the best pitcher, but he did eat up innings. The organization felt he would help anchor a rotation, along with Chris Sale and Jose Quintana. When they added Carlos Rodon to the organization, the front office felt they had a top pitching rotation. However, Danks failed to live up to expectations and was subsequently released.
It’s hard to think many teams will have interest in Danks. but it’s possible he could help anchor the back end of a rotation. 2010 was his last winning season. He has shown in the past he can be effective, but he hasn’t pitched well since 2010. Since 2010, he hasn’t had an ERA below 4.70.
The best thing Danks has going for him is he can be a low-cost option for a team looking to add another arm to their rotation. I don’t think anyone would be willing to guarantee him a rotation spot, but it’s possible he could break camp in a starting role. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see him transition into the bullpen.
The bottom line is he is a veteran pitcher with a lot of major league experience. At 31, he is still young enough where he could contribute to a team. His record will be the biggest thing playing against. From 2008-2010 he was a great pitcher. In fact, he had a winning record in all those seasons. However, injuries kind of set him back and he was never the same pitcher since.
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Still, Danks was always a great guy and a good teammate. Hopefully he can latch onto a team this offseason and have a chance at working his way back into the majors. Some Sox fans were sad to see him go, but that was simply a baseball decision that had to be made. After all, it’s the most important position in baseball. But he could still have some value for a team. We’ll just have to see what team that is.