Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox deserves a high grade for 2020.
The 2020 Major League Baseball season was one of the strangest seasons in the history of the league. One thing that made it very strange was the way things turned out for the draft. Normally, unlike every other major sport, the draft comes in the middle of the season and a few years go by before those guys make an impact at the MLB level. Well, this year, the draft came first because of the COVID-19 pandemic and some players got to the big leagues this season. The Chicago White Sox took full advantage of this.
Garrett Crochet was their first-round pick (11th overall) in the 2020 Draft and he made his way to the MLB club during the 2020 season. He was great during his short stint with the team which made it that much sweeter. He throws the ball very hard and can get hitters out using a nice mix of pitches. He participated in five games during the 2020 season and all of them came out of the bullpen.
He is seen as a future starting pitcher but what he did coming out of the bullpen is certainly interesting. He has six total innings in five appearances where he had 8 strikeouts, a 0.00 ERA, and a 0.500 WHIP. He was dominant during his short sample size but left a lot of room for excitement in the future. We don’t know exactly what his role will be (reliever or starter) but we can be confident that he will be good in whatever role he is given.
2020 Grade: A
You know that you are good when you earn an A for six innings of relief work in five total appearances. There is no reason to give him any other grade because he was so good at the time he was given. He has such a bright future and the White Sox were able to see that even more after his short stint this season.
2021 Outlook:
Garrett Crochet is going to be a part of the 2021 White Sox. He may or may not have a few spot stints in the Minor Leagues but he should be an MLB player for most of the season if not all of the season. He could end up putting up some good numbers if he keeps throwing the ball well during the offseason and has a good mindset going into the year. Of course, getting 100 percent healthy and staying healthy is also key.