• Thoughts on Gio Gonzalez, Josh Reddick

  • By Jason Grey | August 2, 2011 10:10:55 AM PDT
Is the Gio Gonzalez we're seeing this season what we should expect moving forward, or can we still project a little more growth?I was recently asked a question similar to that, and my initial response was, despite some improvement in the ERA category, Gonzalez is pretty much the same pitcher he was last year. Don't get me wrong, that's definitely a solid pitcher; he finished 34th among starting pitchers on our 2010 Player Rater. But after struggling in a couple of recent starts, he's ranked No. 31 among starters on the 2011 Player Rater.His 2011 stats suggest not a whole lot has changed since his breakout 2010 campaign. His strikeout rate has ticked up a bit to just under a batter per inning, which is very good, but his walk rate is still the same at more than four batters per nine -- that can get him into trouble at times -- and he's still allowing the same number of baserunners. That said, he also has kept the gains he made last year in keeping the ball in the yard. That, plus the 25-year-old southpaw reaching a new maturity level and not allowing things to snowball on him when he gets into a jam as often as he has in the past, has helped keep that ERA down."I started slowing the game down, getting a new level in the mental part of the game, and watching guys like Dallas Braden, picking up stuff I could use," Gonzalez told me during the All-Star break festivities.From my point of view, it also has been about slowing down his mechanics. There have been some minor tweaks here and there, but the bottom line is he has been repeating his delivery more consistently. He has slowed things down and isn't as violent as he was in the past. He also had a tendency to move a little too much side to side and not drive toward the plate consistently and finish off his pitches. He has improved in that area, too. In fact, it's actually surprising to me that his walk totals aren't better this season, because compared to what it was, his delivery should allow him to find the strike zone a bit more often.At the very least, I think he's locating his fastball a little better this season. He still throws the same three-pitch mix, sticking primarily with the fastball and an out-pitch curve, although my subjective observation in watching a few of his starts is that his curve has been more of a chase pitch in 2011 than one he can bury in the bottom of the strike zone. Perhaps that's one reason the needle hasn't moved much regarding the walk rate. I don't know if that's a conscious decision or just the way it has worked out, but it's a good pitch either way.Gonzalez is in the midst of a second straight solid season, and if this is what he gives us going forward, especially in the strikeout category, we'll gladly take it. However, I still get the sense there's a touch more growth in him, that he can find a little more consistency and make some small gains in his control, which could pay further dividends.

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