South Side Sox Player of the Week (April 13-20): Lucas Giolito

Lucas Giolito battled his way into two deep-inning starts this past week, despite lacking run support.

The first came in a doubleheader against the Phillies, when Giolito hurled six hitless innings, including seven strikeouts. It was undoubtedly his best start since last August, and also a key victory, tying up the series in Philadelphia.

Giolito made another deep dive into late innings against Tampa last Sunday, pitching seven innings and striking out five. He gave up two homers and a total of four runs. That was more than the Rays needed, as they limited the Sox offense to a single run.

In his seventh season on the South Side, Giolito has hit starry highs and grinding lows. Right now, with a weak bullpen and an injury-riddled offense, the Sox need him more than ever.

This past week shows that Giolito still has the stamina to go the distance. With a little run support, he and Dylan Cease could end up as a pair of aces.

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2023 South Side Sox Players of the Week

Oscar Colás (February 25-March 2)
Andrew Vaughn (March 3-8)
Carlos Pérez (March 9-16)
Oscar Colás (March 17-22)
Cactus League MVP: Oscar Colás
Dylan Cease (March 30-April 5)
Luis Robert Jr. (April 6-12)
Lucas Giolito (April 13-20)

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Top 10 MVP Standings

Seby Zavala (26.2)
Dylan Cease (21.1)
Luis Robert Jr. (20.8)
Lucas Giolito (20.2)
Oscar Colás (16.8)
Zach Remillard (16.4)
Jake Burger (14.5)
Andrew Vaughn (9.7)
Carlos Pérez (8.8)
Melissa Sage-Bollenbach (8.4)

Top 10 Cold Cat Standings

Yasmani Grandal (-16.8)
Yoán Moncada (-16.1)
Keynan Middleton (-14.8)
White Sox Offense (-10.0)
Kendall Graveman (-9.9)
Aaron Bummer (-9.4)
Jake Marisnick (-8.9)
Declan Cronin (-8.1)
Tristan Stivors (-7.9)
Joe Kelly (-7.8)

Four players are now 20+ in MVP points, and unlike in years past we may have a real race on our hands. Grandal and Moncada continue to hold it down for the Cold Cats.

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Writer Standings

Allie Wesel has broken the five-way tie atop the leaderboard by daring to go two games better than .500 with her coverage. However, the race is wide open.

A new addition to the standings this week is something a little brighter, and phrasing you never thought you’d see regarding the White Sox system, minors coverage! Last year, Darren Black was murdered by this terrible system (76-123 and in last place). In 2023, he is kicking ass, 10 games over. He started out the season winning four in a row, and has a seven-game winning streak heading into this week. Playing the role of Darren for 2023 appears to be Julie Brady. But, it’s still early ...

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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!

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