Amid all the trade rumors surrounding Dylan Cease, White Sox GM Chris Getz made some comments Tuesday about the future of left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet.
I first noticed them while scrolling through tweets from Scott Merkin, MLB.com's White Sox beat writer.
"He believes he can be a starter," Getz said of Crochet, according to Merkin's reporting. "We’ve seen him be a starter in the past. So we are going to go into spring prepared to stretch him out, and we’ll make adjustments along the way if need be.
"He hasn’t started in a couple years. So, it’s going to take a little bit of time to appropriately stretch him out. We are going in with the intention for him to be a starter in 2024."
Interesting. These remarks immediately caught backlash from skeptical fans. Understandably so.
You might recall Crochet missed the entire 2022 season after having Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow, and he's dealt with injuries to his elbow and shoulder both before and after that surgery.
So, it is legitimate to question whether Crochet has the durability to be a starting pitcher.
He's never thrown more than 65 innings in a season, and that happened in 2019, his sophomore year at the University of Tennessee.
In the pandemic year of 2020, Crochet pitched 9.1 innings between Tennessee and the White Sox, who drafted him that summer and fast-tracked him to the majors as a reliever.
Crochet tossed 54.1 innings of relief for the Sox in 2021, before the torn elbow ligament sidelined him in spring training of 2022.
Between his rehab stints in the minor leagues and 13 appearances with the Sox, Crochet tossed 25 innings during the 2023 season.
So, yes, the idea that he can jump to 100-plus innings in 2024 is a reach.
There's also concerns about Crochet's arsenal. Does he have three pitches that allow him to get through a lineup more than once? He's got a fastball and a slider. But is the changeup a credible enough pitch to keep opposing batters honest? And does Crochet have the control to work deep into games?
It's very possible Crochet will hit the same ceiling Michael Kopech has hit. If you've watched Kopech over the past few years, you know the lack of a third pitch, poor control and injuries have all hindered his development. Crochet could walk the same path.
That said, I'm on board with trying Crochet as a starter, despite the risks and red flags. The Sox spent the No. 11 overall pick in the draft on him in 2020, and I don't think you pick a guy that high to assign him to a middle-relief role for the rest of his career.
You can find middle relievers in the later rounds of the draft, in free agency, on the waiver wire, pretty much anywhere.
But when you spend a first-round pick on a pitcher, you do it with the hope that he'll be a future starter. Crochet wants the opportunity, and he hasn't gotten it yet -- because the Sox were trying to win when he first joined the organization, and there was an immediate role in the big leagues he could fill.
In 2024, the Sox are no longer trying to win. There is time for development, time to see what certain guys can and can't do. For Crochet, he may need to spend some time in the minors to get stretched out to start. That's fine. Let's see if he's capable.
If he's not, the Sox can always downshift and move Crochet back into a relief role.
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