Chicago White Sox

He also has a 3.98 FIP. That ERA is very misleading and driven by a handle of ugly starts. We also don’t know how much working on his changeup might be affecting his numbers. Regardless, the K rate is still a nasty 11.84 per 9. The stuff is clearly there to be an ace, he just needs a bit more time to learn how to control his emotions and not throw every pitch 1,000 MPH.

Regarding Giolito, I think you give him the rest of the season with Coop and see if he can make any strides. At this point in the season I hate wasting his last option. If he continues to struggle, give him as much time as needed in AAA next year to figure his shit out. We can start off 2019 with a rotation of Rodon, Lopez, Covey, Stephens, & filler until Kopech is ready.

Lopez is pretty damn good IMO. It’s not all clicking yet, but I think matter of when not if. And Dunning is rapidly shooting up the prospect charts. I think he has one of the higher floors of all minor league pitching prospects and will very likely be an effective major league starter. Getting two long-term rotation pieces out of that trade would be a huge win. The idea of getting 3/5 of a rotation out of one trade while fun was always a total pipedream.

Atlanta trade?

Literally turn on the game and the first pitch Giolito gives up a three run bomb. Fuck this, I’m taking a breather.

I wonder which of these guys get bumped up to Kannapolis when the big wave of full season ball promotions happen. Destino & Comito week seem like obvious picks. Not sure who else though.

We all have to be patient. Right now things may look a bit grim, but that’s what happens when young talent is developing at the major league level. In all honesty, the only guy I’m really worried about at the moment is Giolito. Without his velocity to returning to some extent, the command issues don’t even really matter. I’m not giving up on him just yet because I believe the cause has to be mechanical, but he’s quickly moving to the bust group. Moncada & Lopez have both flashed significant potential and even if they don’t reach their ceilings, I’m confident they’ll both become good players. I have zero concerns about Kopech and Fulmer was already a bust before this season so no worries there.

Some weird stuff going on with that Great Falls lineup. Sosa at 3B, Nunez, at 1B, & Beltre at SS. I think we can quickly write off Nunez as a prospect if he’s already unfit for 3B. Hopefully it that he’s simply been passed by those other two guys in terms of prospect status and it’s a way to get bat in a lineup. Also, where is Zangari? Now that we have an actual LatAm operation we could use a third short season team.

So velocity is secondary, but Dane Dunning isn’t going to make with a “90 to 92 MPH”? Maybe you should reference this post in the future when you start writing off Dane again.

The reality of a rebuild. I just took off a few days from Soxtalk because of how bad Moncada has been doing. But that breather, Lopez, and a few too many drinks has got me excited for tonight!

Lol...I love this post!

Lol...right? But hey, this is the America we’re living in today.

Lol...ok bro!

Lol...so very true.

Fuck a Tiger!

But Fangraphs! ?‍♂️

I respectfully disagree. Those numbers are inflated by a ton of guys getting spot starts or because competitive teams are cycling through options in the back of their rotation. A random start here or there isn’t what I call an opportunity for a high end pitching prospect. And for the most part, we are going to to want to stick through our young guys’ struggles as it’s going to take some time to determine which of our guys are going make it and which will fall off. Injuries may help some, but we’ve done a pretty good job in the past decade of keeping our guys healthy (Rodon withstanding). I fully expect there to be a bit of a traffic jam when guys like Dunning, Hansen, & Cease start hitting the scene.

I will add that these struggles give Jordan Stephens a good opportunity to grab a rotation in the near future.

His K/9 was below 4.5 last year, but I agree with your general point. He’s always going to be a little wild and that’s fine with his kind of stuff.

People are focusing on the words “too much pithching” and missing the key point here. We are going to have a glut of pitchers that will need opportunities in the major league rotation in the next 1 1/2 years and not enough room for them all. That does NOT mean they will all make it, but it will certaintly take time to know which ones will unless we plan to cut bait relatively quickly. The way I see it Rodon & Lopez (health permitting) are locks for the opening day 2019 rotation. Despite recent struggles, I think there is a 90% chance Kopech is in the rotation by mid May. That leaves two total spots in the near future for all other pitchers. Right now Covey would be the favorite for one. The other spot will probably be a battle between Giolito & Stephens. Sure, one of these guys can go to the pen and serve as backup plan in event of injury. But things will get complicated when Dunning shows he’s ready in the first half of next year. Which one of those guys do cut bait to make room for Dane? And Hansen shouldn’t be too far behind, so things will get even tougher. So sure this is a good problem to have, but sequencing these guys in will prove to be a bit of a challenge if all goes well.

I lost you at you’ve got more faith in Giolito than Kopech.

Maybe you should take a breather from White Sox baseball for a few years. It’s clear you don’t have the patience for a rebuild.

Talk about a hot take...

Not a good look for Franklin Reyes assuming he got demoted.

Kopech throws 100 MPH, Giolito throws like 92. Lopez’s growing pains would be a better comparison.