Unstuck

 

Even two years after the MLB put down a ban on spider tack and similar sticky devices, I feel like we're still hearing about tack-users as much as we used to. Obviously Domingo German got a storm of boos from Yankee fans after his tack suspension, which means he's finally found another way to miss games without being injured or beating the shit out of someone. There's still lingering distrust from Mets fans towards Max Scherzer, who's still on the mend from injuries in addition to his tack usage. And it's clear that the umps are really trying to nail people on this, even in a season where one of the best pitchers in baseball is someone who very famously used tack in his prime, that being Gerrit Cole.

But Cole's resurgence despite the lack of sticky substances does point to another trend, a better one, which is pitchers who used to be relying on tack either never recovering or finding their way back to where they were. And right now it's looking like Lucas Giolito has fallen into the latter category after fears he'd be lost to the former. 

I had considered Giolito one of the biggest names in the category of careers lost to giving up tack, like Michael Pineda, Hector Santiago and, well, Tyler Glasnow. Last year, though not terrible, Giolito has a 4.90 ERA and a 1.435 WHIP, despite making all his starts and striking out 177. When you compare it to his prime, likely thanks to tack, it's not great. But so far in 2023, Giolito seems to have gotten his mojo back, with a 3.86 ERA, 56 Ks and a 1.118 WHIP, in addition to leading all White Sox pitchers in WAR. It's a sign of massive improvement, and a step in the right direction for someone who already had a ton of talent, regardless of tack.

Now, the big question is whether pitching without training wheels, in a sense, is gonna lead to more injuries for Giolito, who's mostly avoided the IL for the majority of his career. We saw how it affected Glasnow, and how he's struggled to get back to where he was. I worry something similar could happen to Giolito. Hell, right now his chief collaborator, Mike Clevinger, can talk about injuries ripping out a chunk of one's career. Sunshine did make it out the other side, though, but I'm not sure if the domestic issues are gonna make him teammates with Bauer again soon.

I think having a stronger Giolito does bode well for this Sox season, as does some of the team activity within the last week. They're winning games again, getting people off the IL and finding stars where they may not expect it [Jake Burger's suddenly their chief power guy]. I'm not sure if they'll completely rebound from their awful start, but I feel better about this team than I did.

Coming Tomorrow- He played with Ohtani this March, and now he's blossoming into a big piece of his team.