Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito ready to get into ‘competition mode’
Red Sox players are ready to get the Grapefruit League schedule started and compete in games. The first two weeks of spring training is officially in the books and the games are about to begin as Boston is gearing up for the 2024 season.
New Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito is ready to get on the mound and is ready to compete ahead of Opening Day at the end of March.
“For me, the games are all about getting into competition mode,” Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito said Friday. “It moves a lot faster than a bullpen or a live bullpen. You may have runners on base. You have a crowd in the stadium again, so it’s just getting attuned to the speed of the game.”
Giolito is the new veteran added to the rotation following the departures of both Chris Sale and James Paxton this offseason.
The tall right-hander is focused on being a veteran leader for the younger arms on the Red Sox roster.
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“I’d like to have more of a veteran presence and help steer these guys in the right direction if they want that,” Giolito said to the Chicago Sun Times on last week. “Building a good culture, building a lot of camaraderie, getting the guys close, that’s what I’m looking forward to doing. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
The Red Sox lack a true ace ahead of the new season and Giolito knows if Andrew Bailey can tweak a few things with the righty, he’s hopefully to get back to his old form on the mound.
“The communication level is extremely high,” Giolito said recently on the Fenway Rundown podcast. “If you want to go in and look at all the skeletons and biomechanics and study analytics, there are guides for that. If you prefer not to, then maybe it’s communicated to (pitching coach Andrew) Bailey and then he comes to us with whatever suggestion. So it really can be catered to every individual player because we’re all unique and different.”
Giolito had a down season in 2023, posting a 4.88 ERA and splitting time between three teams, the White Sox, Angels and Guardians. He owned a second-rate 5.27 FIP across 184 1/3 frames with all three teams. Off-the-field distractions impacted Giolito in 2023, but that’s now in the past.
Giolito has gone back this offseason to things he focused on when he was peaking as a big league pitcher. The 6-foot-6 hurler is reportedly throwing harder than the last few years and he’s crediting that to Bailey’s structure and pitching program.
“It’s been a very refreshing change,” he said.
The Red Sox begin their spring training schedule on Saturday afternoon agains the young Orioles. Giolito will not pitch in the game but the veteran hurler is ready to get into game action and help the Red Sox in 2024.