School: Tennessee
Position: LHP
Height/Weight: 6’6″ 218 pounds
B/T: L/L
D.O.B.: 6/21/1999
Previously Drafted: Milwaukee Brewers, 2017 – 34th Round (1,014th Overall)
Scouting Report
Garrett Crochet attended Ocean Springs High Schoool in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. As a junior, Crochet went 3-0 with a 0.51 ERA and 25 K in 27.2 IP and initially committed to play at Jones County Junior College. According to Perfect Game‘s 2017 rankings, Crochet was considered to be within the top 1000 draft eligible prospects and came in as the 316th LHP, all while being the 21st ranked player in Mississippi and the second ranked left handed pitcher in the state.
After an uptick in velocity, Division 1 schools like Tulane, Texas, Texas Tech, and Tennessee started noticing the southpaw. Crochet would wrap up his senior season leading Ocean Springs to the 6A State Semifinals and going 6-4 with a 1.48 ERA with 76 K in 61.1 IP. The strong showing lead the Milwaukee Brewers to select the tall lefty in the 34th round of the 2017 MLB draft, but ultimately he decided to forgo signing and committed to play with the University of Tennessee.
During his freshman and sophomore seasons, Crochet spent time as both a starter and reliever for the Volunteers. As a freshman in 2018, Crochet made 17 appearances, six of which were starts, had a 5-6 record with one save, a 5.51 ERA accompanied by a 1.48 WHIP, and 62 K in 63.2 IP. As a sophomore, improvement was evident as his 2019 season totals came out to 18 appearances (six starts), a 5-3 record with three saves, a 4.02 ERA paired with a 1.37 WHIP, 81 K in 65 IP.
Stellar fall practice vaulted Crochet’s 2020 draft status into potential top 10 pick consideration according to MLB Pipeline. The Vols lefty was named to Baseball America’s 2020 Preseason First Team All-American list, Perfect Game’s Preseason Third Team All-American, and the southpaw was also rated within the top 20 draft eligible prospects by Baseball America (#13 as of 4/29/20), D1Basball.com (#16 as of December ’19), Fangraphs (#19 as of 5/5/20) and MLB Pipeline (#18 as of 4/21/20).
Crochet was slated to be a full time starting pitcher for his junior year in 2020. However, upper back soreness delayed his debut and he would only make one appearance before the season was shutdown due to the pandemic, throwing 3.1 IP while striking out 6 and only allowing 2 hits.
Scouting Grades
*Scouting grades are according to MLB Pipeline’s rankings, grades may vary between different publications*
Fastball: 65
Slider: 55
Changeup: 60
Control: 50
Overall: 50
Prospect Overview and Future Outlook
Circling back to Crochet’s performance in the fall, his fastball velocity jumped to 96-100 mph, which was up from the 91-95 mph (topping out at 97) during the spring. According to MLB Pipeline, his fastball already played better than its velocity due to high spin rates, and he also has a slider that sits 82-85 mph with above-average spin. His changeup has flashes of being well above-average, he has deceptive arm speed, and the pitch sits around 90 mph.
Baseball America has echoed similar senitments about the young lefty, stating that he has the best stuff of any left-handed pitcher in the class, and quite possibly the best overall stuff of any pitcher in the draft. BA mentions that his fastball is a plus-plus pitch, while his slider is a plus pitch (with Fangraphs saying he has an Andrew Miller velocity/sweeping slider look), and his changeup is above-average. The length and angle of his delivery makes for difficult at-bats for opposing hitters, especially lefties.
Contrarily, his secondary offerings have been inconsistent in the past and his lack of a track record as a starting pitcher has had a negative impact on his draft stock (the pandemic cutting the season short did him no favors). His control is acceptable enough (but could use some refinement) to project him as a starting pitcher, but if starting pitching doesn’t pan out, he has the potential to become a relief ace with his elite two-pitch mix. However, if he’s able to realize his full potential, the mixture of Crochet’s handedness, size, and stuff is a combination that scouts dream on.
Mock Draft Outcomes
In Baseball America’s most recent iteration of their mock draft series, MLB Mock Draft Version 3.0, they had the White Sox selecting Crochet at number 11. Both JJ Cooper and Carlos Collazo believed that a college player (pitcher or bat) made sense for the Sox here based on where the team is in accordance to the rebuild.
On the other hand, CBS Sports had him being selected one slot later by the Cincinnati Reds. Our James Fox came out with his mock draft and had Crochet being selected by the Philadelphia Phillies at pick 15. MLB Pipeline and Prospects Live both mocked him being chosen by the Boston Red Sox at number 17.
Of course, a lot could change from now until draft day. By looking at these mock drafts however, Crochet’s sweet spot seems to be just outside the top 10 selections and into the mid-teens of the first round.
Potential Fit with the White Sox
Crochet’s fit in the White Sox system is obvious. A system that is lacking in left handed pitching, especially left handed starters, the Mississippi native would immediately slot in as the number one left handed pitcher in the system. Crochet’s pure stuff would immediately push him past Konnor Pilkington and Bernardo Flores in our rankings, as he would most likely slot into the White Sox top 10, possibly right behind Dane Dunning and Jonathan Stiever.
Photo Credit: Alison McNabb/Tennessee Athletics
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