Despite there being no minor league season in 2020, there were a significant number of White Sox prospects who made big strides. The White Sox had 12 players make their MLB debuts. We are taking a look back at how they fared and what it means for their future.
Codi Heuer got the relievers started. Now we shift to the electric Garrett Crochet.
RELEVANT STATS
Regular season: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 8 K (5 appearances)
Postseason: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 2 K
When the White Sox drafted Crochet this past June, there was one very common thing scouts said about the left-hander. They believed that despite the lack of track record as a starter in college, Crochet could pitch in a relief role at the big league level in 2020. Once the season was underway, the White Sox bullpen appeared to be a strength, and having Crochet slide into the mix seemed unlikely.
However, as we the end of the season drew closer, the White Sox had some injuries in their bullpen. This opened up an opportunity for Crochet, who was called up in September from the Schaumburg site. With the postseason on the horizon, Crochet had a chance to show the White Sox what he could do and if he could be used as a secret weapon in October.
It didn’t take long for Crochet to show the White Sox they made the right move. He made his MLB debut against the Reds, shortly after receiving the call, and he made the Reds look really uncomfortable. Crochet tossed one inning that night where he struck out two and generated a weak grounder for the final out. He touched triple digits six times, and was the first White Sox pitcher to reach that level of velocity in 2020.
Nothing but 🔥 from @GarrettCrochet in his first MLB inning! pic.twitter.com/LFuofBlOKn
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 19, 2020
Despite his funky delivery, Crochet does a good job of repeating his motion and keeping everything in sync. His fastball is graded as his best pitch due to the impressive velocity and above-average spin rates. He relied on his fastball a lot during his first taste of professional baseball. He threw it 84.7% of the time, and it’s easy to see why he did that.
Crochet threw his fastball 72 times this season, and the pitch averaged 100.1 mph on the year. Opponents hit a measly .167 against it, only picking up three hits which all were singles. Crochet also posted a 40.5 Whiff% on his fastball. Despite not throwing it nearly as much, Crochet’s slider looked like a devastating pitch at times, especially to lefties.
Garrett Crochet threw 15 pitches at 100.0+ mph tonight.
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 27, 2020
Most 100.0+ mph pitches, 2020:
Brusdar Graterol: 47
Garrett Crochet: 45
Josh Staumont: 35
He threw his slider nine times for the second most frequently used pitch in his arsenal. His slider averaged 86.6 mph with 34.4 inches of vertical drop and 10.9 inches of horizontal break. He did not give up any hits on this pitch, and while his changeup is his second-best graded pitch, his slider seems like it can develop into a deadly offering.
Garrett Crochet, Filthy 85mph Slider. 😷 pic.twitter.com/V1arOBqPOx
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 1, 2020
The White Sox couldn’t have asked for more out of Garrett Crochet in 2020. He came up, looked better than most anticipated, and became a reliable weapon for his very brief stint this year. Unfortunately, his exciting first taste of big league action ended with some tough news. After striking out two A’s hitters in the Wild Card series, Crochet had to leave the game with forearm tightness.
At 21 years & 102 days old, Garrett Crochet is the youngest pitcher to appear in a postseason game in White Sox franchise history.
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 1, 2020
Prior youngest: Mark Buehrle (21 y, 195 d) in 2000 ALDS Game 2
That type of injury is always scary with pitchers, as it can be a prelude to more serious arm procedures. Luckily for Crochet, there was no damage to his UCL. Rick Hahn told the media this after the season and also mentioned that Crochet should be a full go next spring.
Crochet showed flashes of potentially becoming an elite, high-leverage reliever during the 2020 season. However, the White Sox drafted him as a starter and Hahn mentioned that they still view him as such. So where does that leave Crochet’s role moving forward? If there’s a normal minor league season in 2021, Crochet could head to an affiliate to start working on being stretched out for that role.
In his same media session, Hahn didn’t ignore the fact that he was impactful out of the bullpen. “In terms of upside, we view him as a guy who can be an impactful starter, but you certainly can’t ignore what he looked like he’s capable of doing out of the bullpen, either.”
Just because the White Sox still view Crochet as a starter doesn’t mean you can completely count him out of the bullpen at the big league level. They theoretically could have Crochet begin to get stretched out as a starter in the minors, then bring him up later in the year to be a multi-inning relief pitcher. However, when you take a pitcher with the 11th overall pick, you want to give him plenty of opportunities to develop as a starting pitcher before moving on from those dreams.
Regardless of what type of role Crochet ends up taking on with the White Sox, he looks like he’s going to be a big part of their plans. We saw what he can do out of the bullpen in 2020. It seems the White Sox set themselves up to land an impact player with their first-round selection. If his worst case scenario is being an elite, high-leverage reliever, then the White Sox were able to add someone to the organization that will still be important to the team for many years to come.
Want to know right away when we publish a new article? Type your email address in the box on the right-side bar (or at the bottom on a mobile device) and click create subscription. Our list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time. Also, consider supporting FutureSox on Patreon! You can get early access to special articles and Patreon-only posts, in addition to more benefits.
Shop our exclusive merchandise! Show your support with FutureSox apparel.
I see him beginning the season in the minors as a starter, then called up towards the end of the season as a reliever to keep his innings down. While as a reliever they’ll probably tell him to use his secondary’s more like a starter. Barring injury he’ll be great. Can’t wait for next season. Especially the minors which I enjoy just as much as the majors. Although with the Sox being a playoff team the dial turns to their favor.
You mentioned the horizontal and vertical break on his slider. Where does that rate?
Pingback: White Sox rookie review: Jimmy Lambert - Futuresox