https://theathletic.com/788331/2019/01/29/after-getting-help-in-his-rehab-from-lucas-giolito-michael-kopech-is-dedicating-this-year-to-being-unapologetically-myself/

This article is about both Giolito and Kopech. Gio is taking Kopech under his wing for the TJS rehab process, along with Gio's HS buddy and teammate Max Fried. 

If you have a subscription, I suggest giving this a read, as Giolito is watching video of himself last year and when he was at his best. He talks about his delivery being out of sync due to having his arm behind his body(Textbook example of flying open) and what he's doing in his offseason training to correct the issue. This begs the question: What do you need to see from Lucas Giolito in 2019 to give him another year in the rotation? 

Edited January 29, 20197 yr by Jack Parkman

K% at least above 20% 

BB% below 6%

Whiff % at least league average 

Just showing that he can actually deceive people, that he is not just relying on luck for outs. It is do or die as far as I'm concerned this year. Not gonna wait for a pitcher for 2 years of being the worst in the league.

 

I won't call it do or die, but you want to see improvement and most of all, consistency.

ERA+ of 150 or GTFO.

They Sox are not likely to let Gio go but if he struggles this year he is likely demoted to the pen to figure out it out with the other guys like Fulmer. 

18 minutes ago, SoxFanForever said:

ERA+ of 150 or GTFO.

You do realize that only 3 pitchers had an ERA+ of 150 or better in the entirety of baseball in 2018, right? DeGrom had an insane season and his ERA+ was 155. 

MLB Top 5 in ERA+

DeGrom-155

Snell-154

Bauer-150

Nola-141

Freeland-139

Edited January 29, 20197 yr by Jack Parkman

1 minute ago, Jack Parkman said:

You do realize that only 3 pitchers had an ERA+ of 150 or better in the entirety of baseball last year, right? DeGrom had an insane season and his ERA+ was 155. 

Pretty sure that was sarcasm, buddy.

1 minute ago, The Sir said:

Pretty sure that was sarcasm, buddy.

You never know with people, they could not have a grasp of what an ERA+ of 150 actually looks like. 

8 minutes ago, Jack Parkman said:

You never know with people, they could not have a grasp of what an ERA+ of 150 actually looks like. 

It was 100% sarcasm.

Have an ERA of under 4.75, which doesn't sound great, but a huge improvement. It would give him another year in the rotation. 

Cut way, way, way, way, way down on walks. 

Not absolutely suck up the first inning of half of the games you start, so the team feels like you're giving them a chance to win. 

8 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

It was 100% sarcasm.

I'll take your word for it. I was confused because people don't really use ERA+ anymore, they use ERA-, which is subtracting the difference from average(100) instead of adding it. It is the same stat, just presented differently. That is why I thought there was a possibility he was serious. 

Edited January 29, 20197 yr by Jack Parkman

Considering how long far suckier pitchers last in the league and also get paid pretty handsomely to suck, I think Lucas will be given plenty of opportunities to figure it out. Maybe not endless opportunities from the Sox but there will be plenty.  

Dead. In his own head. 

One who constantly thinks of his mechanics will never settle in on the proper mechanics. He's obsessed with his mechanics and blames all his shortcomings on them. 

As someone who changed his hand position, stance, and load after and during every major slump of my life - into college - I understand that searching for success in your mechanics takes the natural talent and flow of your game away. Mechanics matter but if you're in the big leagues making mechanical overhauls, you're in trouble. 

Gio would be better off focusing on learning to deal with lesser stuff than searching for that stuff. He should learn to pitch with the stuff he has now, in my opinion. I hope I'm horribly wrong about giolito.

I would like to see him not be the worst starting pitcher in all of baseball. Baby steps.

Just now, shipps said:

Considering how long far suckier pitchers last in the league and also get paid pretty handsomely to suck, I think Lucas will be given plenty of opportunities to figure it out. Maybe not endless opportunities from the Sox but there will be plenty.  

Giolito was arguably the worst regular pitcher in baseball last year. There aren't really any pitchers that are "far suckier" than lucas giolito and certainly not ones who have stuck in the league.

3 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Giolito was arguably the worst regular pitcher in baseball last year. There aren't really any pitchers that are "far suckier" than lucas giolito and certainly not ones who have stuck in the league.

In terms of talent there are and thats what I was referring to. His natural ability is going to grant him plenty of time in this league.  

6 minutes ago, shipps said:

In terms of talent there are and thats what I was referring to. His natural ability is going to grant him plenty of time in this league.  

Throwing strikes is a part of talent. Gio wont be around long walking 4.25 per 9.

Everyone who makes the MLB is really talented. Talent and prospect status might make your minor league production next to irrelevant in the eyes of big league clubs but results are what carry you in the mlb 

4 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Throwing strikes is a part of talent. Gio wont be around long walking 4.25 per 9.

Everyone who makes the MLB is really talented. Talent and prospect status might make your minor league production next to irrelevant in the eyes of big league clubs but results are what carry you in the mlb 

Ha! So you think there won't be someone that think they will be the one to fix that? If he replicates those same walk rates I guarantee he gets another shot the following season. If he does it again, there will likely be another guy that thinks he has found out what the problem is. Not everyone gets the benefit of the doubt and some are just more talented with natural stuff than others. I dont know how you can deny this happens.    

My issue with both Gio and Fulmer is that I’m not sure top of the rotation stuff is anywhere to be found at this point. It’s not like they are struggling with consistently or control. They just flat out can’t get batters out...including the minors, which is even more troubling. 

To me it almost feels like they are trying to figure out problems just to get to 4th/5th starter status. Don’t get me wrong, if 1 of these guys can stay in the roatatuon full time it’s a big plus for the Sox, but given their pedigree and cost it’s a hard pill to swallow that I don’t have faith in either to make it.

 

26 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Dead. In his own head. 

One who constantly thinks of his mechanics will never settle in on the proper mechanics. He's obsessed with his mechanics and blames all his shortcomings on them. 

As someone who changed his hand position, stance, and load after and during every major slump of my life - into college - I understand that searching for success in your mechanics takes the natural talent and flow of your game away. Mechanics matter but if you're in the big leagues making mechanical overhauls, you're in trouble. 

Gio would be better off focusing on learning to deal with lesser stuff than searching for that stuff. He should learn to pitch with the stuff he has now, in my opinion. I hope I'm horribly wrong about giolito.

There was a guy who just made it into the hall of fame that was downright terrible in the majors until he made a few major mechanical adjustments

 

theres another guy pitching in Houston who looked like his career was coming to a close until he made a few mechanical adjustments and regained a few mph on his fastball.

 

the idea that major league players don’t make mechanical adjustments is completely made up in your mind

9 minutes ago, shipps said:

Ha! So you think there won't be someone that think they will be the one to fix that? If he replicates those same walk rates I guarantee he gets another shot the following season. If he does it again, there will likely be another guy that thinks he has found out what the problem is. Not everyone gets the benefit of the doubt and some are just more talented with natural stuff than others. I dont know how you can deny this happens.    

You're greatly exaggerating giolitos raw stuff. Without a huge fastball, giolito isn't a top tier talent. His ceiling right now if EVERYTHING goes right is a #3. When Giolito throws strikes they get pummeled - his problem isnt just walks. It's the fact that his strikes get hit very hard. 

A couple of other factoids on Lucas: he was the 5th slowest worker in baseball last year at 27 seconds between pitches, and he was No.1 in most stolen bases allowed, 7 more than the next worst.  Pick off attemps too numerous to count. Mound presence woeful 

I have found him so unbearable to watch that I rather switch off the tv and listen to Ed Farmer. I really hope they put him on a 18 second count and let it rip  

 

 

9 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

You're greatly exaggerating giolitos raw stuff. Without a huge fastball, giolito isn't a top tier talent. His ceiling right now if EVERYTHING goes right is a #3. When Giolito throws strikes they get pummeled - his problem isnt just walks. It's the fact that his strikes get hit very hard. 

Dylan Covey continues to get shot after shot and his ceiling is a five. 

19 minutes ago, ChiSox1917 said:

There was a guy who just made it into the hall of fame that was downright terrible in the majors until he made a few major mechanical adjustments

 

theres another guy pitching in Houston who looked like his career was coming to a close until he made a few mechanical adjustments and regained a few mph on his fastball.

 

the idea that major league players don’t make mechanical adjustments is completely made up in your mind

Where did I say major leaguers don't make adjustments? A guy just coming fresh to the majors and making a mechanical overhaul is alarming and not common in the least bit.

What mechanical overhaul did Verlander make? He made an adjustment to the way he attacked hitters and the zone - his adjustment was driven more by analytics provided to him by the Astros. He didnt make some dramatic mechanical changes and reinvent himself. A late career adjustment is vastly different than a overhaul of your mechanics after one year in the big leagues. Giolito has now overhauled his mechanics 4 off seasons in a row. He did it in Washington by their request in 2016 because his motion was high effort and dangerous according to them. Then in 2017, the white sox acquired giolito and overhauled his mechanics - hoping to fix what the nationals broke. Then, in 2018 giolito changed his mechanics again, back to the "natural" motion from before the nationals changed him. He had a big spring and optimism was high. Then the season started and his velocity didnt hold in the weather, and his release point with the natural motion kept preventing him from getting on top of breaking balls. Then, he started finding some velocity but still couldnt get on top, and he was wild in and out of the zone. Now, in 2019 Lucas Giolito is overhauling his mechanics again. Yes, countless hall of famers do that 

Edited January 29, 20197 yr by Look at Ray Ray Run

2 minutes ago, shipps said:

Dylan Covey continues to get shot after shot and his ceiling is a five. 

Dylan Coveys best pitch is actually incredibly good - he throws a 96-95 mph sinker with huge movement. Coveys problem is he can't control it, and his secondaries are horribly inconsistent. But... every single pitch Covey throws moves, a lot. That's why he gets chances. The hope being he finds a way to harness and pinpoint the movement. That 95-96 last year came out of nowhere - when I saw that, plus the movement, I realized why the Sox rule 5ed Covey. He might never figure it out but that stuff is filthy.