South Side Sox 2021 Player of the Week (ending October 3): Lucas Giolito

As a subtle victory over Detroit brings an important milestone, ol’ Bigfoot reminds us that 2019 was no fluke.

By Mitch Ransdell Oct 6, 2021, 6:20am CDT

Lucas Giolito is the right pitcher to set the tone against the Houston Astros, the chosen one to gather up the struggles and triumphs of the past few seasons and pour them into bottles of patented, portable, home-turf energy, to be chugged by White Sox pitchers on the mound at Minute Maid Park this week.

Through his continued reliability, Giolito has shown definitively that 2019 was not just a lucky season, but instead a glint of reliable promise. For the second time in his career, Lucas Giolito has posted 200 strikeouts in a single season.

Eight of those strikeouts came on a memorable Saturday evening last July against, notably, the Houston Astros, when Lucas hurled a complete game. He hurdled over the 200 mark this past week in a subdued but effective showing against the Detroit Tigers, giving up a single run on just two hits through five innings.

This season has shifted the limelight to a number of other White Sox pitchers, from Carlos Rodón’s no-hitter to Liam Hendriks’ volcanic relief work and the passionate bellows of Lance Lynn. Against this backdrop, Engine No. 27 has steadily worked his way to 11 wins, seemingly more confident with each start. And now, as we turn toward a familiar postseason enemy, Lucas Giolito is more valuable than ever.

So, with the regular season in the rearview mirror, let’s cheer to a terrific showing by Giolito and Company, and to the great moments to come.

If you’re interested in seeing more of Mitch’s work, or if you’d like to purchase original drawings or prints, contact him via Twitter (@soxsketcher), Instagram (@southsidesharpie), or by e-mail at southsidesharpie@gmail.com. Thanks for supporting local artists!

[On Saturday’s ALDS off-day, we’ll post Mitch’s Player of the Year art and essay, as well as the full standings for MVP and Cold Cat.]

2021 MVP Top 10

Carlos Rodón (100.0)
Lance Lynn (75.2)
Lucas Giolito (56.0)
Luis Robert (53.3)
Dylan Cease (39.1)
Tim Anderson (37.6)
Gavin Sheets (31.3)
Yasmani Grandal (31.0)
Reynaldo López (18.8)
Adam Engel (14.1)

2021 Cold Cat Bottom 10

César Hernández (-54.0)
Evan Marshall (-43.1)
Leury García (-32.3)
Liam Hendriks (-31.1)
Aaron Bummer (-30.0)
Craig Kimbrel (-28.0)
Matt Foster (-27.4)
Garrett Crochet (-26.5)
Dallas Keuchel (-22.6)
Yermín Mercedes (-18.9)

South Side Sox Writer Standings

Congratulations to the South Side Sox Indianapolis Field Office (Chrystal O’Keefe and Joe Resis), which captured the two two spots in our coverage standings, in fact locked in a tie! A quirk of winning percentage has Colleen Sullivan sporting a higher .680, but trailing the two from Indy by a game. Note Chrystal with a nine-game and five-game winning streak, while Joe sports three separate six-game runs. That five-game streak makes Chrystal the hottest writer on staff (don’t worry, she have ALDS coverage in three of five games!).

Also, congratulations to the best coverage teams, Ashley Sanders (Six Pack)/Hannah LaMotta (recap) and the Joe Resis Solo Tuesdays. Ashley and Hannah leading the way is apropos, because they both bring infectious positive energy to coverage.