White Sox: Garrett Crochet’s signature moment hit 102 mph

Garrett Crochet hit 102 mph for the Chicago White Sox in 2020.

Every great player has a signature moment each season. When you only pitch in five games, there might be only a few (or less) to consider but Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox has already had a few memorable moments. He consistently throws the baseball over the plate faster than 100 miles per hour. His signature moment had to be when he scorched one at 102 miles per hour, which is tied for the fastest pitch thrown in the MLB this season.

Nobody reached 103 which makes the rookie’s arm feel even more impressive. It makes you wonder what he can do in the long term. He doesn’t necessarily have to throw it that fast but the fact that he can makes his future very bright. He has a chance to be a seriously impactful player and it all starts next season.

In 2020, he only had those five appearances where he had six innings but they were certainly impressive. He had a 0.00 ERA, 0.500 WHIP, and eight strikeouts. He had a WAR of 0.3 which is cool because he was able to accumulate a little bit of a career WAR before he even reached his tenth MLB inning.

Garrett Crochet came into game-three of their playoff series against the Oakland Athletics but he came out with an injury. We initially feared it would be Tommy John surgery but learned not long into the offseason that it wasn’t quite that serious. It was amazing news for everyone who likes this team because Crochet showed how good he can actually be when healthy.

Jose Ramirez is one of the best hitters in all of Major League Baseball. He was in the conversation for the American League MVP in 2020 and was even nominated for the award. Crochet had the confidence to throw 102 inside to Ramirez in his first season. It wasn’t a strike but it showed that he can use that gas to his advantage in the not so distant future. If you can’t see the ball, you can’t hit the ball. When it is going that fast you can’t see it, even if you are Jose Ramirez.

Crochet didn’t only have that one super fast pitch either. He had a couple of 100 and 101 mph pitches as well. If he figures out how to get those past hitters with even more regularity and larger sample size, he will be able to keep his WHIP and ERA down throughout his prime. This was a fun moment to witness and hopefully, there are more to come.