It was tough news to hear about Garret Crochet before the Chicago White Sox season even started. He is going to miss the entire season because of some Tommy John surgery that he had.
There is no doubt that it was a tough break for both him and the White Sox. There is no doubt that it isn’t easy for a player to miss an entire season and the White Sox certainly could have used him.
Now, however, we can start thinking about Crochet’s return. Of course, the 2022 season was mostly miserable but they still have a fighting chance in September which is not something that has always been the case for this franchise.
It was nice, in the meantime, to hear an update on the former first-round pick’s status before Friday’s big win over the Minnesota Twins. It sounds like Garrett Crochet is doing well and expects to be ready for the White Sox in 2023.
The Chicago White Sox would love to get Garrett Crochet back healthy in 2023.
Garrett Crochet is here in Chicago, and has thrown from 45 feet in early catch play. He said preparing as a starter is mostly about mindset. Last year he was talking to fellow relievers about their routines so he could be effective in the pen. This year he's talking to starters.
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) September 2, 2022
James Fegan does an incredible job covering the White Sox for The Athletic and the provided this very nice update. Hearing what he said about Crochet is amazing for everyone involved as he can be a legit difference maker.
It sounds as if based on Fegan’s tweet that Crochet is planning on becoming a starter again in 2023. He prepared for 2021 as a reliever and is preparing for 2023 as a starter.
He would have certainly been a reliever again in 2022 if he never got hurt but he would have been in Michael Kopech’s “superweapon” role where he got lots of different types of assignments. He was a starter his whole life and seems to be ready to get back to that.
Crochet’s path to Major League Baseball is a bit more unusual than the average first-round pick. He got called up during the short 2020 season. There was no Minor League Baseball season so they took the risk and called him up. He lived up to the hype.
If he joins the rotation in 2023 and lives up to his potential, it is going to be even better than it is right now.
We will have to see what happens with Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, and Johnny Cueto in terms of their status and production but seeing Crochet with Michael Kopech and Dylan Cease will be amazing.
This is what White Sox fans have been waiting for. Hopefully, Crochet is able to live up to these new expectations and his recovery from a very hard surgery continues to go well for him. Seeing him back will surely be fun.