White Sox: Predicting The 2018 South Siders Starting Rotation
What will White Sox starting rotation look like next season? SouthSide Showdown predicts the 2018 pitching staff.
The White Sox recently traded 33-year old veteran pitcher Miguel Gonzalez for another prospect to the Texas Rangers on Aug. 31 and now the plot thickens. The White Sox are only left with two starters from the 2016 regular season and only one of those two have plans to stay with the White Sox for the long haul. The White Sox have had a very rough time in the starting pitching department since the departure of Chris Sale.
The Sox have had the likes of Derek Holland, Mike Pelfrey, Dylan Covey and David Holmberg start games for the Pale Hose but none have impressed or have even come close. However, this failure comes to the delighted pleasure of the very eager farmhands down in the minor leagues.
More from White Sox News
- The Chicago White Sox might have had a season ending loss
- The Chicago White Sox are expecting Tim Anderson back soon
- Miguel Cairo’s words spark life into the Chicago White Sox
- Dylan Cease should be the favorite for the AL Cy Young Award
- Ozzie Guillen speaks the whole truth about Tony La Russa
This awful starting rotation has opened the door for the highly-prized prospects the White Sox had waiting down at Triple-A Charlotte. And not only have they received the call up to the Show but they’ve been very impressive in their time with the White Sox.
Most recently, Lucas Giolito (White Sox No. 6 prospect) was given the opportunity to be with the Sox for the remainder of the season. Giolito has only made four starts but capped off his first two weeks with the team with an absolute beauty of a game. Here is how he’s done so far with the ChiSox:
- MIN – 6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 4 K – L
- DET – 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K – W
- TBR – 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K – W
- SFG -5.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 K – L
Giolito, along with Carlos Rodon, Reynaldo Lopez and many other young studs, are looking to spearhead what could be the best rotation in baseball if the White Sox can fully develop their talent and skills. Next year, the Sox can actually see the rebuild in full effect with a rotation entirely full of their prospects, although probably not pitching to their full potential just yet. Nonetheless, who can we expect to see start games for the Sox in 2018?
Rodon should definitely expect to be the ace of the staff next year and possibly for the next few years to come. With two years of MLB service already under his belt, his stuff has been as good as it’s ever been even though he’s seen a few hiccups in between. He’s only had one rough start going all the way back on July 19 and he looks to have greatly improved from last season. From late July to late August of this season, he had five straight starts in which he did not allow more than two earned runs and four walks, went at least six innings and struck out nine or more twice.
2017 season: 12 starts/ 2-5/ 4.15 ERA/ 69.1 IP/ 76 SO/ 31 BB/
From July 25: 8 starts/ 1-2/ 3.49 ERA/ 49 IP/ 56 SO/ 16 BB/
As previously mentioned, Giolito has been fantastic in two of his first four starts for the White Sox. He has rotation ace capabilities and can fit that role if Rodon’s performance takes a step back. In a sample-sized assessment, Giolito looks prepared for the big-league level. It’ll be very exciting to watch him pitch with the Sox for the rest of the year. His 2017 numbers are 2-2 with a 2.84 ERA, 23 strikeouts and eight walks in 20 innings pitched. His opponents are batting .169 against him.
There was much more hype surrounding Lopez’s call up than Giolito’s but with good reason. Lopez was phenomenal down at Triple-A Charlotte while Giolito was failing to exceed his expectations early in the season. Lopez was the second of the key minor league call ups, following teammate Yoan Moncada’s call up in mid-July. Lopez has only made four starts but looks to have truly electric stuff. Lopez had one bad start (4.1 IP, six earned runs) in between three quality starts.
The start in which he allowed six earned actually saw him exit the game early with a stiff back. Lopez came back from the disabled list to throw six strong innings against the Rays but came away with the loss on Sept. 1. He has struck out no less than six batters in each of three starts. He has a strong arm and has a knack for strike outs. His strong starts this year definitely guarantee his spot in the rotation for next year.
With good fortune, the most exciting prospect the Sox have on any mound will make his move up to the big leagues next season. Michael Kopech, acquired in offseason trade with Boston Red Sox for Sale, has been sensational down in the minor leagues this season. He was ranked in the top six of WHIP, ERA and strikeouts in the Southern League. He was named the Southern League’s Most Outstanding Pitcher and even made the move up the Charlotte Knights before season’s end.
This season, he had more than eight strikeouts in 12 of his 25 starts. In his three starts for the Knights, he went 1-1 in 15 innings pitched to go along with five earned runs, 17 strikeouts,five walks, a 1.33 WHIP and a 3.00 ERA. He dominated the minors and already looks ready to give it a go at the Major League level. Realistically, Kopech could start next year at Triple-A but make his move up to Chicago as early as late April to mid-May. The latest could be sometime in July but Sox fans should be on pins and needles until then because he’s going to be great.
The White Sox are stuck for the moment on who will be the fifth starter next season. The Sox still have James Shields for at least the next year but he’s been less than desirable to put it nicely. Holland had a chance to grab a spot on the rotation, but was recently released on Sept. 5. Shields however has the best chance to stay in the rotation only because he opted in and used his player option for the next two years. Might as well as use him if you want to save space for a bigger free agent. However, the White Sox should and probably will go with a different option. Especially if it’s the form of the deadly Alec Hansen.
Promoted twice this year, Hansen began his year with Class-A Kannapolis Intimidators, moved up to the Class-A Advanced Winston-Salem Dash, and ended his year with the Double-A Birmingham Barons. From July 6 to the end of the season, he only had one game with less than five strikeouts, including nine games with sseven strikeouts or more – even in Double-A where he had two starts with eight and nine strikeouts in five innings or work.
He was 11-8, with a 2.80 ERA, 1.117 WHIP and a 12.2 K/9 rate. If Hansen starts off the year with the Barons and continues to dominate as well as develop and improve, it’s possible he can be promoted to Triple-A in May or June. He could possibly move up to the big leagues in late August or September of next year.
The other option is having David Holmberg, Dylan Covey or another minor leaguer be the fifth starter. Also, what most people are expecting is signing another veteran free agent in the offseason. According to MLBTradeRumors.com, notable free agents include Jake Arrieta, Madison Bumgarner, Tyler Chatwood, and Gio Gonzalez. Regardless, if the Sox can comfortably and consistently put out Rodon, Giolito , Lopez, and Kopech next year, every game will be a must-watch.