The game was a central element of Giolito’s preparation since 2019. After a terrible 2018 season (10-13, 6.13 ERA) at 23 with the White Sox, the right of the right recognized the need to change not only how he attacked the strikers, but how he digested scouting reports.
“I was so bad that I had to make some changes. It was therefore one of my changes – take the screening work more seriously, but also do it in a way that works for me, ”recalls Giolito. “When I was in high school, I did not like to sit and study for tests. I was always paying attention in class and I participated active in the class, asking questions, speaking – active learning. But sitting with my head in a book and trying to memorize information was never really my strong.”
A friend, citing the pleasure by Giolito of video games, suggested that it could be a good adjustment for his learning style. Giolito had not played the show for years, but decided to try it.
The 2019 season was a year in small groups. Giolito went 14-9 with an MPM of 3.41 and 228 stick withdrawals for the White Sox, obtained a star of stars and finished sixth in the Al Cy Young ballot.
A change in delivery to career change to make your arm swing more compact played a more important role, but the game has proven to be useful enough for Giolito to have used it since.
Giolito faces the computer rather than live opponents. This can produce unrealistic results at higher levels of difficulty, such as early swings on fast balls or low prosecution rates on some of the Swing-And-Miss weapons of the launcher.
“They rarely swing to bullets,” said Giolito, estimating a swing rate of 5 to 10 percent, for example, a high 0-2 ball.
Its real repertoire is also slightly different; Giolito says he launches his cursor a few ticks stronger than it seems in the game.
However, these nitpicks do not much harm the overall value of the exercise – or the positive strengthening to dominate his opponent.
“There is the appearance of visualization, where I see myself executing the land as I want and the sequences I want to execute,” said Giolito. “I see him arriving and I do it actively.”
Everything comes with occasional moments of lightness of rupture of the fourth wall. Giolito’s game is known to the game developers, to the point where Play-by-Play broadcast really mentions, on occasion, its use of the game as preparation before starting.
“It’s very meta, because as I do, I hear the advertiser to describe my process,” said Giolito. “It’s pretty funny.”
Everything about Giolito’s experience is not flattering. Since the last game’s software update in June, the launcher has obtained a note of 68 – down considerably compared to the 80s at a 2019-21 peak in which he received the votes of Cy Young in three consecutive years.
This low note came shortly after the Giolito Nadir this year, a start of seven points and five against the angels who left him an MPM of 6.42. But in four subsequent departures, Giolito – which spent part of this season to seek its mechanics after having missed all 2024 following a procedure of internal agitation in its right elbow – restored its arms niche and its release point.
In its most recent release, Giolito had an angle of arm of 54 degrees on his fast four -seam ball and an average release height of 6.26 feet – up approximately 4 degrees and three inches earlier this year. This niche allowed its quick ball to start beat the strikers back and above the top of the area, while installing its repertoire to work.
The result? Giolito has an MPM of 0.72 in these four departures, with an average of more than six rounds with a withdrawal rate of 25% and a walking rate of 7%.
What note Giolito (4-1, 3.99 ERA for the season) would give this version of itself?
“An 80?” he supposed. “I don’t care too much with [the game rating]. It does the job. He always does it. … When I play, I launch very well.
Friday, he hopes life imitates the art of the game.
Alex Speier can be attached to Alex.speier@globe.com. Follow him @alexspeier.
