Grading the White Sox: Lucas Giolito
Enjoy this next and last season, people
At midseason, the SSS staff graded the 46-46 White Sox, from the head of the class Dylan Cease down to Dallas Keuchel. We invented a WARsss metric that could very well be just a cute way to trot out our special site grades — but really for all you know could be the product of years of research in a stats lab.
Our expanded report card will take us through everyone who saw time in uniform for the White Sox, plus some front-office types. Most of our writers will take on a couple of players, with final grades and short writeups, running through the end of November. Enjoy!
Lucas Giolito
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Midseason: 1.2 WARsss
Final: 0.392 WARsss
From 2018’s “Worst pitcher in baseball,” Lucas Giolito quickly turned around and grew into being the ace of the White Sox staff from there, notching an All-Star appearance and a nasty changeup. Unfortunately, his 2022 season saw a decline. Finishing the year with an 11-9 record, 4.90 ERA, and 0.4 WAR, Giolito would be the first to tell you that that this year was not it. His hard-hit percentage, walk percentage, and chase rate struggled. His strikeout and whiff percentages remained high, however. Working on his slider, he threw it at almost an even split with his change, 23.6% and 25.5%, respectively. Working on becoming a more dominant three-pitch pitcher, the changeup and slider were not as sharp as often.
Luc-ace G-elite-o enters his final year of arbitration and will be back next year, in what might be his final campaign on the South Side.
2022 White Sox Grades
Lucas Giolito, RHSP, 0.392
Adam Engel, OF, 0.237
Vince Velasquez, RHP, -0.4
Reese McGuire, C, -1.1
Kyle Crick, RHRP, -1.65
Joe Kelly, RHRP, -1.75
Daryl Boston, 1B Coach, -2.0
Anderson Severino, LHRP, -2.2
Jerry Reinsdorf, OWN, -2.321
Jake Diekman, LHRP, -2.366
Rick Hahn, GM, -2.401
Bennett Sousa, LHRP, -2.425
Frank Menechino, BAT COACH, -2.469
Yasmani Grandal, C/DH, -2.549
Leury García, UTIL, -2.7
Adam Haseley, OF, -3.146
Joe McEwing, 3B Coach, -3.167
Ryan Burr, RHRP, -3.4
Tony La Russa, MGR, -3.5
Dallas Keuchel, LHSP, -3.9