Coming off of a successful week that saw the White Sox gain a commanding hold of first place in the AL Central, the team made a surprising move. The team announced on Friday that they have called up 2020 first-round selection Garrett Crochet.
Crochet was expected to be a quick riser through the system and there was some talk of his debut coming in 2020, but it was not something most had expected. White Sox general manager Rick Hahn told the media Crochet will be a reliever for the White Sox. He replaced Evan Marshall, who went to the injured list with shoulder inflammation, on the active roster. Crochet took the 40 man roster spot of Ian Hamilton, who was designated for assignment.
Hahn told reporters that Crochet will be playoff eligible. There was some confusion about a Sept. 15 deadline for playoff eligibility.
“This is not entirely unanticipated,” Hahn said. “At the time when [amateur scouting director] Mike Shirley and his group identified Garrett as a candidate for our first-round pick in 2020 it was with the possibility that he could conceivably help us out of the pen this season. He has done an excellent job in Schaumburg. Chris Getz, Everett Teaford, Matt Zaleski, the coaches that have been working with him speak very highly of his aptitude. And we want to spend the last 10 days of the season seeing if he could potentially could help us out of the pen here, not only for the next week and a half but for the postseason.”
Crochet joins a rare group, at least in modern baseball, of players to go straight from the draft to the majors without pitching in the minor leagues. Mike Leake made that jump for the Cincinnati Reds. Leake was drafted eighth by the Reds in 2009 and didn’t pitch in the minors that year. He debuted in the Arizona Fall League and won a rotation spot in 2010. Even he got some organized professional games before reaching the majors.
White Sox fans will be familiar with Chris Sale’s story. Sale made 11 relief appearances in the minors in his draft year in 2010 before debuting with the White Sox. Brandon Finnegan did similar in 2014 with the Kansas City Royals. Of course things are different for Crochet given there is no minor league season right now. Crochet has been working out with White Sox staff in Schaumburg.
The comparison to Sale seems particularly apt, as the lanky left-hander has drawn numerous comparisons to the former Sox lefty. Crochet’s pitches, delivery and stature have reminded scouts and fans alike of Sale and now he has followed a similar development path. Hahn said Crochet is still viewed as a starter long-term, even if he will debut in the bullpen. The hope is Crochet will help the team secure the Central Division, and to see if he is ready for the postseason.
“The stuff speaks for itself,” Hahn said of Crochet. “We know the stuff is going to play long-term. I hope he doesn’t feel pressured over the next 10 days to show more than he’s capable of doing. What he’s capable of doing is more than enough to succeed at the big league level. We’re just going to see here his composure, his ability to stand out there on the mound and with confidence attack big league hitters. It’s not a small task. We realize that. He’s barely had the opportunity to pitch in college this season, much less face big league hitters before or even many professional hitters, really any professional hitters outside of our own organization in Schaumburg.
“We’re not quite sure what we’re going to get, but we felt given the ability, given the tools that this was a worthwhile opportunity to see if he can be a potential piece for us over the next several weeks. And it’s only, again, when he returns to the rotation for the long-term this experience, whether it’s just these 10 days or it goes deep into October, will serve him well. It will help him know what’s needed to succeed at this level.”
Crochet signed for a slot signing bonus of the No. 11 pick ($4,547,500) in June. Stuff-wise, Crochet has a high 90s fastball that was graded as one of the best in this year’s draft. His slider is also regarded as a plus pitch. Crochet started throwing his changeup as a sophomore in Tennessee, although it has shown flashes of being a plus pitch. The 21-year-old knows the change is the pitch he needs to focus on as a starter. He could rely on the fastball-slider combo out of the bullpen.
“I think that the development of my changeup is really what makes me see myself as (a starter),” Crochet said on the FutureSox Podcast on June 26. “Before my sophomore year, going back to when it was not that good of a pitch at all, it was kind of just a different offering to throw over the plate and keep the hitters off balance. But now it’s got good fade and good two-seam action to it that I think will help keep the right-handed bats off balance. Then I feel like when I pair that with my slider breaking into a righty I feel like it’s pretty untouchable.”
Crochet was the No. 5 White Sox prospect in our midseason rankings. He would move up to No. 4 now with Luis Robert graduating. MLB Pipeline has moved him into their top 100 prospects in baseball at No. 96. Here is FutureSox’s full pre-draft scouting report on Garrett Crochet.
Crochet would be the 12th player to make his MLB debut for the White Sox this season.
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