Lucas Giolito

Lucas Giolito
Washington Nationals
Pitcher
Born: (1994-07-14) July 14, 1994 Santa Monica, California
Bats: Right Throws: Right

Lucas F. Giolito (born July 14, 1994) is an American baseball pitcher with the Washington Nationals organization. He attended Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City, California. He was considered one of the top prospects for the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft. His fastball has been clocked as high as 100 miles per hour (160 km/h).

Career

In March 2012, Giolito sprained the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, sidelining him for the rest of his high school season.

Giolito had a commitment to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and play for the UCLA Bruins baseball team.

Although some thought he was good enough to be drafted first, he fell to 16th—picked by the Washington Nationals—because of concerns about his elbow.

Giolito signed with the Nationals on July 13, 2012—thirty seconds before the deadline, and the day before his 18th birthday—to a minor league contract with a $2.925 million signing bonus., and by the end of the month was scheduling Tommy John surgery to repair his injured elbow ligament.

The recovery went well, and by the following summer, he was back on a mound in a game. He made eight starts for the Nationals GCL team in 2013 and posted a 2.78 ERA. He was promoted to Auburn, the Nationals' short-season Class A affiliate, and allowed one earned run in the 16 innings he pitched. In 2014, Giolito played his first full season of professional baseball with the Hagerstown Suns. He went 10–2 with a 2.20 ERA and 110 strikeouts compared to 28 walks over 20 starts. For his 2014 efforts, he was selected as the South Atlantic League Most Valuable Pitcher and Top Minor League Prospect. He also appeared in the All-Star Futures Game.

As of 2015, he is considered the top Right-Handed Pitching Prospect in the MLB.

Following the promotions of Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa, and Francisco Lindor to the MLB, Giolito became the highest remaining prospect on MLB.com's top prospect's list in June 2015.

Giolito made his first start for the Nationals during Grapefruit League action in Port St. Lucie, Florida, on March 18, 2016, pitching two scoreless innings and earning the win versus the New York Mets.

Personal

Giolito's mother, Lindsay Frost and grandfather, Warren Frost, are actors. His father, Rick Giolito, is a producer. His uncle, Mark Frost, is a novelist, television screenwriter, and producer, while his other uncle, Scott Frost, is a writer.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)