Chicago White Sox Prospect Lucas Giolito Fires A Minor League No-Hitter

After struggling to open the season, Chicago White Sox pitching prospect got his season going well with a big start on Thursday.

Lucas Giolito could be one of the most divisive prospects in all of baseball. After struggling in his major league debut last season, the Washington Nationals shipped Giolito as part of a package to get outfielder Adam Eaton from the Chicago White Sox.

We put together a scouting report on Giolito this spring. Typically the majority of the time in a pitching scouting report is spent on describing the pitches the pitcher throws, the way they move, and the projection in those pitches at the major league level. Instead, it was predominantly about Giolito's mechanics as the Nationals had done some serious tinkering with Giolito that had him completely off line.

When Giolito's name came up in possible trade rumors this winter, many viewed the Chicago White Sox as one of the two or three best destinations for Giolito to end up, perhaps only behind Pittsburgh as the ideal spot. Chicago's pitching coach Don Cooper has a reputation for working very well with guys who have elite stuff and some mechanical issues to get the best out of the pitcher's stuff. This spring saw positives already as Giolito was more direct to the plate and was moved more to the center of the pitching rubber, allowing him to repeat his delivery and let his long arm path work through its motion and get all the velocity and break it can generate when it is fully utilized. Giolito had also slimmed down significantly from his 2016 frame.

Giolito's early season results have been fairly hit and miss, as he entered Thursday's game with a 6.41 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 12.36% walk rate, and 22.47% strikeout rate over 39 1/3 innings.

Thursday's game

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Then came Thursday's game against Syracuse. The game was to be 7 innings as part of a double-header. However, this game held a special bit of interest to Giolito. He was pitching against the same club where he had spent most of 2016 as a member. This was his first time facing his old club, so his first chance to exact a measure of revenge as a member of another organization.

On the game, Giolito went the full 7 innings, allowing no hits, no runs, three walks, and struck out three batters.

The game had a tone immediately as Giolito uncorked a 91 MPH fastball that had some cut action to it, something he's worked in this season, spotting the ball right on the outside part of the plate, completely freezing the hitter for a called first strike on the first pitch. That quickly led to his first strikeout of the game.

Giolito had every pitch working on this night, getting guys to roll over his looping curve, getting weak swings on his hard-biting slider, and once again, getting some excellent cut action on the fastball, especially to left-handed hitters.

Giolito retired 13 of the first 14 hitters in the game and was dialed in all game, and he was humble after the game with reporters, crediting his defense, coaching, and the three home runs from his offense.