Lucas Giolito flashed his considerable potential Saturday as one of several top prospects who impressed in Grapefruit and Cactus League exhibitions.
Making his second spring start with the White Sox, Giolito -- the No. 11 overall prospect and Chicago's No. 2 -- found his rhythm and held the Angels scoreless for three innings in the 10-2 victory. He allowed just one hit and struck out three batters.
The centerpiece in Chicago's return for Adam Eaton this winter, Giolito made his big league debut with the Nationals in 2016 but struggled with inconsistency. He went winless and posted a 6.75 ERA with more walks (12) than strikeouts (11) through 21 1/3 innings in the Majors.
Now with a fresh start in Chicago, Giolito was encouraged by the results of his second outing.
"First time out is like getting on a bike after not riding one for a while," he said. "You can still do it, but you have to get back in the rhythm.
"Just going out there and competing, trusting my stuff, throwing the two-seamer down and mixing changeups and curveballs. I would have liked to throw the curveball more for a strike, but that's why it's Spring Training. A lot more to work on. Everything felt really good."
More notable performances from top prospects on Saturday:
• Royals No. 12 prospectJorge Bonifacio drove in three of the Royals' seven runs Saturday in a split-squad matchup with the Reds. The outfielder went 2-for-3 and contributed a two-run homer and an RBI single in the loss.
• Indians No. 8 prospectErik Gonzalez boosted his candidacy to make the big league bench with a strong performance at the plate in Cleveland's dominant 15-5 win against the A's in Mesa, Ariz. Gonzalez drove in four runs, including a three-run homer in the third inning.
• A pair of A's infield prospects -- No. 10Chad Pinder and No. 21Renato Nunez -- homered in the loss to the Indians. Pinder hit a solo shot in the fifth and Nunez followed that up with a two-run blast in the sixth.
• Arizona's No. 1 prospectAnthony Banda tossed two scoreless frames against the Padres, fanning two and surrendering just one hit and one walk. Banda's effort nearly allowed the D-backs to mount a late comeback as they cut the deficit to one run in the eighth, but ultimately lost, 6-5, in Peoria, Ariz.
• Marlins No. 5 prospectDillon Peters delivered for his club, holding Atlanta without a run in his two innings of work. The 24-year-old lefty pitched around a leadoff double from Freddie Freeman in the fourth, earning praise from manager Don Mattingly.
"I think we see a guy who is confident," Mattingly said. "He's on the attack out there. He doesn't look like a guy who is afraid at all. I've been hearing about him since last year."