White Sox: Potential roles for Garrett Crochet in 2021
If someone had told me on June 10 the pitcher the Chicago White Sox selected in the first round would appear in the Wild Card Series for the Sox in 2020, I would take a big sigh of relief in knowing the Sox would make the playoffs.
Then I would rethink the situation and question the legitimacy of this fortune teller, wondering why in the world would the Sox throw a rookie with only college experience into that situation.
Evidently, the unlikely happened.
Still relievers available for Sox to add. light. Related Story
White Sox jumped Garrett Crochet straight to the bigs
Exactly 100 days after being drafted, Garrett Crochet suited up in the black and gray for the first time, skipping the minor leagues altogether.
Of course under different circumstances there would have been a minor league for him to report to, but an unpredictable year resulted in his debut being at the big-league level and his first professional season ended with a postseason appearance.
Today, the White Sox have their minor league affiliates back and those teams will have a season this year. Now the question is whether Crochet is ready to stay in the majors? He did have a solid start, showing glimpse of what could be a great career, but a huge part of this question relies on his spring training performance. A poor one might change potential plans.
It makes sense to start a prospect in the minor leagues, but he is not like other prospects and he has proven to be able to impact a game and help the team win. With that in mind, here are a few roles Crochet can slide into in the 2021 season, in no particular order of possibility.
White Sox could option Crochet to Triple-A
Of course, the more traditional and safe approach to Garrett Crochet’s development would be to stick him in the minors and wait until he is ready.
But Crochet is a different case. He made his big-league debut, he has pitched in the major leagues a bit and had moderate success. In six relief innings in the 2020 regular season, he struck out eight ,allowing three hits with no walks. Yes, it is a small sample size, but six scoreless innings with eight Ks is something to build from.
On the other hand, fears of rushing him have been growing, especially after his early departure from the Wild Card Series. After nine pitches and striking out Matt Olson and Khris Davis, Crochet left due to some tightness in his forearm. It was clear something was up when his velocity was dipping.
Fortunately, Crochet says he is 100% and is healthy for the 2021 season. That being said, with his history of shoulder issues to go along with this forearm tightness, it might be a sign to let Crochet go through the traditional path of minors to majors, despite already debuting.
The White Sox have been known to send top prospects back down to the minors despite already having made their big league debut. Lucas Giolito and Yoan Moncada both debuted before they were acquired in 2016, but started their White Sox careers with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights.
Of course the only difference between the three would be the fact that Crochet wore the black and gray already.
White Sox rotation could use a lefty boost on the back end
The top three of the Chicago White Sox rotation is a lock. Dylan Cease had a fairly decent 2020, but compared to his teammates, Cease is most likely the fourth man. That leaves the fifth rotation spot open for a battle.
The spring training fight for the fifth spot essentially comes down to four names: Carlos Rodon, Reynaldo Lopez, Michael Kopech and Garrett Crochet. With pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training Thursday, it still hard to say who is most equipped to take that fifth spot.
Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported Sunday the White Sox plan on building Kopech as a starting pitcher and could open 2021 in the rotation.
Correction: I was told not to assume that Kopech *begins* 2021 in the #MLB rotation, as the Sox won't rush him, but the team has been pleased with his progress through the offseason. Those familiar with his work in recent months believe he can be an impact starter this year. https://t.co/kmTZ6lIRbz
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) February 14, 2021
It is still a possibility that Kopech could start his season in the minors. It all depends on his spring training. For the sake of the scenario, let’s say Kopech struggles and goes to Charlotte and the fifth spot now comes down to three pitchers — Lopez, Rodon and Crochet.
Rodon was non-tendered in December. After a poor performance in the Wild Card Series, arguably a spot he should not have been in, he was let go. Without any luck getting a guaranteed starting job in free agency, Rodon signed a $3 million deal to return to the Sox.
Lopez has struggled to say the least. Some fans have given up on him, but others remain optimistic and still hold out on throwing in the towel on him. Of course his ERA has gotten higher each year in the majors, so perhaps it is safe to say Lopez has the steepest hill to climb for that fifth spot.
Which leaves the door open for Crochet to build off his 2020 cup of coffee and have a dominant spring training. However, to earn that fifth spot, he would have to really turn some heads. If so, then every fifth game would be Crochet Day.
White Sox could ease Crochet in as a long man
In this role, Garret Crochet can be expected to come into games to relieve a starting pitcher who may be struggling early. Crochet can develop and even shine in this role, acting as a Band-Aid to stop any potential bleeding while also gaining valuable major league playing time. If anyone is making bets, this role would most likely win.
At the University of Tennessee, Crochet did both start and pitch in relief. In 2019, despite a strong season, the Volunteers were stopped in the regional finals. His 81 punchouts in 65 innings helped out their 40-21 record.
In 18 appearances in 2019, he pitched 65 innings, 34.2 in relief. In total, he gave up 10 earned runs in those innings, but really he just had one bad outing, giving up four runs against Mississippi State, but hey sometimes you don’t have it. In those relief innings, Crochet struck out 50 while allowing only eight walks, three coming in that Mississippi State game.
When Chris Sale started his White Sox career, he was primarily used in the back end of the bullpen, coming into games late, often shutting the door and earning a save here or there. Considering the stacked back end of the ‘pen of 2021, Crochet will not be used the same way.
The plan with Sale was to build him into a starter the whole time, as it is with Crochet. The team actually expects him to make the five-man rotation by 2022. But there is a different, out of the box idea that gets him in there now.
White Sox fifth starter could be Michrett Kopchet
This role is a bit out of the box, but could work.
Regardless of where Michael Kopech starts his 2021 campaign, it is a given he will have an innings limit. For the sake of the scenario, let’s say Kopech dominates in spring and earns the fifth starter spot. At the same time, Garrett Crochet crushes it and has a dominant spring as well. Now there are two guys who can be starters proving they are ready, but only one starting spot.
Why not package the two?
While Kopech handles the first three or four innings, Crochet can jump in and pitch another two, three innings. Heck, Crochet can even finish the game if the two are dominating.
Making Crochet the sixth starter not only benefits Kopech in easing him back into the game, but builds Crochet as well, allowing him to see major leagues hitters on a consistent basis. Considering the plan is to use Crochet as a starter eventually, this is potentially a solution. The two can alternate who starts the game and who enters in relief.
Not only could this work in terms of development, but marketing a Kopech/Crochet Day, two young flamethrowers who can touch 100 mph, would get the team a lot of national attention.
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Sox fans know too well what it is like to be left in the shadows, but as a team emerging as a contender, packaging two top, young potential stars like this could be a great way to keep up with the coverage the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres get.