2022 was a mess for Lucas Giolito. Everything that possibly could have gone wrong for him did and it led to many doubts from Chicago White Sox fans worldwide.
2023 is a big year for Giolito. Not only is he trying to get back to the pitcher he once was but he is also in the last year of his contract with the White Sox. It's a money-making year for the right-hander and if his season is anything like it was the previous year, his millions will go down significantly.
Thus far, Lucas Giolito has taken the hill six times this season. Outside of one horrible start, the other five have been what the Chicago White Sox need from him. Although he's not receiving wins for his efforts, there have been a lot of good things to take away from his start to the 2023 campaign.
The Chicago White Sox are seeing good things from Lucas Giolito.
Lucas Giolito, Painted 94mph Fastball 🎨🖌️ pic.twitter.com/oxayduTRSI
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 28, 2023
That is now 5 of 6 starts this season that Lucas Giolito has pitched well. After the season he had last year this is really good to see.
— Mike (@ChiSoxFanMike) April 29, 2023
His confidence is back, his walk rate is the lowest it's ever been, and most importantly, the command of his change-up/off-speed pitches is back.
Hitters looked comfortable in the box last year when facing Giolito. This year, it's quite different. He is getting opposing hitters to guess on pitch selection and while he may not be back to his proper old form, he's on the verge of getting there.
In 34.2 innings pitched, Giolito has 34 strikeouts with a 1.18 WHIP. His ERA is at 4.15 but if it weren't for his horrific start in Pittsburg, that number would be much lower than it is.
Giolito is getting the results he wants after a really brutal 2022 season. It's good to see him back on the mound competing how he would like to.
The White Sox aren't winning nearly as many baseball games as they would have hoped but Giolito is giving them a chance to put W's in the win column almost every time he steps onto the mound.
With it being the last year of his contract, it's still in the air what he will end up doing for next season. With how horrid the White Sox have been playing, there's possibly even a chance he will be dealt to a contending team at the trade deadline.
The organization has a lot of ways they can handle Lucas and it will be interesting to witness what happens between now and throughout the rest of the 2023 season/into the free agency process.