GLENDALE, Ariz. — Right-hander Lucas Giolito’s first brief session with pitching coach Don Cooper came during SoxFest two weeks ago. For one of the White Sox’ prized pitching prospects, it hopefully was the start of getting back on the right track.
“He was able to watch,” said Giolito, who pitched to a less-than-impressive 6.75 ERA over 21 1/3 innings when the Washington Nationals called him up last season. “For me, it’s get back to basics, keep it really simple. Last year, I overcomplicated things a little too much in my head, got a little out of whack.”
Giolito talked at his locker on the first day of spring training. Pitchers and catchers reported Tuesday, and the first full squad workout is Saturday.
“I experienced a lot of hardship in the big leagues last year,” Giolito said. “I didn’t pitch well at all. I got hit pretty hard, so I learned a lot from that. I took a lot away, about dealing with adversity, being able to make adjustments on the fly, slowing things down when they’re speeding up. I’m trying to take everything I learned and apply that and be a little bit better this year.”
Giolito is ranked No. 12 on MLB.com’s list of major league prospects. He was acquired in the trade for outfielder Adam Eaton.
