Three best players on Chicago White Sox right now
player. 128. . SP. Chicago White Sox. Lucas Giolito. 2
The success of Lucas Giolito going forward is more important for the Chicago White Sox than it might necessarily be for other teams.
Giolito, 25, broke out last season also, making people understand why he was the prize of the deal that sent Adam Eaton to the Washington Nationals.
The right-hander registered a 3.41 ERA, 3.43 FIP, 1.064 WHIP, 11.6 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9 in a season that saw him finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting and make the AL All-Star team.
His ability to replicate that success going forward is possibly just as crucial as that of Moncada due to the fact that he’s truly the best pitcher on the team and it’s not really close.
Dallas Keuchel definitely has the best track record of any of the arms in their current rotation, but the team can’t possibly expect the southpaw to pitch like his former self going forward.
While Michael Kopech, Dylan Cease, and/or Reynaldo Lopez could all eventually reach Giolito’s level, none of them are there yet.
Giolito, Keuchel, and Gio Gonzalez are, truthfully, the only pieces of the rotation with the type of track record required to be completely confident in them right now.
Of those three, Giolito is the only one that can be reasonably asked to be the team’s ace as he simply is the team’s best pitcher now.
Some will argue that Keuchel still deserves to be in that discussion, and given his track record that is fair.
However, over the long haul, the Chicago White Sox need Giolito to be their ace, unless if the team adds a starter that is even better than him at some point.