Garrett Crochet

Garrett Nolan Crochet

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 6", Weight 245 lb.
• School University of Tennessee
• High School Ocean Springs High School
• Debut September 18, 2020

• Born June 21, 1999 in Ocean Springs, MS USA

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Biographical Information

Lefthanded pitcher Garrett Crochet was the 11th overall pick of the 2020 amateur draft, by the Chicago White Sox from the University of Tennessee, where he was majoring in nuclear engineering. He was considered to have the best fastball in that year's draft. In 2017, he had been a 34th round selection by the Milwaukee Brewers but had decided to attend college. In the last regular season start of his sophomore year at Tennessee, he was hit in the face by a line drive and suffered a broken jaw, but returned two weeks later to pitch in the 2019 CWS Regionals. In 2020, as a junior, he pitched only 3 1/3 innings before the season was interrupted by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Like many other top picks from the 2020 draft, as soon as he signed with the White Sox, he was added to their 60-player pool in order for him to work out with major leaguers and other top prospects at the team's alternative training site in Schaumburg, IL, with the minor leagues being shut down. Thus when he was called up to pitch for the big team on September 18th, he was not only the first player from the 2020 draft to appear in a major league game - doing so even before anyone selected in the 2019 draft had played in the majors - but also the first player since Mike Leake in 2009 to go straight to the majors.

In his debut he pitched one scoreless inning in relief in a 7-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, striking two of three batters he faced and hitting 101 mph on the radar gun. He made 5 appearances in total, all in relief, pitching 6 innings in which he gave up just 3 hits and no runs, walking none and striking out 8. He was added to the White Sox's postseason roster, and in the decisive Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Oakland Athletics, he came into the game in relief of Dane Dunning in the 1st inning, striking out Matt Olson to end the frame with two runners on base. He then also struck out the first batter of the 2nd inning, Khris Davis, but something was off, as his fastball was around 95 and not customary 100 mph, and he was immediately removed from the game with forearm tightness. It turned out that manager Rick Renteria had decided to use him even though he was already feeling sore before the game, at the risk of exposing him to a serious injury, and ultimately this move cost Renteria and pitching coach Don Cooper their jobs a few days later. It turned out that there was no serious injury, and the plans was to have him start the 2021 season with the big-league team. He pitched 54 times in relief, going 3-5, 2.82 in 54 1/3 innings and picking up 65 strikeouts. He made three appearances in the Division Series against the Houston Astros and did not give up a run despite allowing 5 hits and a walk in 2 1/3 innings.

He missed all of the 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in the off-season. He returned to the majors in May of 2023, but after pitching regularly for a month, he was out of action again from mid-June to late September due to inflammation in his left shoulder. As a result, he pitched just 13 times, going 0-2, 3.55 with 13 walks and 12 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings. Heading into 2024, the White Sox made an unexpected announcement, stating that Crochet would be moving to the starting rotation. Not only that but given the trade of ace Dylan Cease during spring training, he was designated to be the team's Opening Day starter, making him one of only a handful of pitchers to make their first career major league start on the first day of the season. He was very solid in his first start against the Detroit Tigers at home on March 28th, giving up just 1 run on 5 hits in 6 innings, striking pout 8 while not walking anyone; unfortunately, his teammates failed to score for him, and he was saddled with a 1-0 loss. He was one of the few bright spots for a very weak Sox team over the first few months - but also the subject of countless trade rumors as it was obvious that his value had grown tremendously with his successful transition into a starter. In June, he was named the American League Pitcher of the Month after putting up an ERA of 1.91 in 6 starts while striking out 56 batters in 37 2/3 innings; in fact he was leading the majors in strikeouts with 141 at the end of the month. He was named the White Sox's sole representative at the 2024 All-Star Game and by that point speculation was full on about who would try to acquire his services at the trading deadline and what it would take to presumably outbid a number of other teams in order to obtain him. In the end he did move, because, as one rival GM put it "the White Sox were asking for the moon for him" so it gave him the chance of continuung to pitch for one of the worst teams in the history of the AL. On September 1st, he tied a league record held by three other pitchers by striking out the first seven batters he faced in succession in a start against the New York Mets. However, the White Sox still lost the game, 2-0, their 107th defeat of the season, breaking the franchise record set in 1970.

Notable Achievements

• AL All-Star (2024)
• 200 Strikeouts Seasons: 1 (2024)

Further Reading

• David Adler: "White Sox top Draft pick has 100-mph heat", mlb.com, June 10, 2020. [1]
• Scott Merkin: "Drafted in June, Crochet hits 101 in debut", mlb.com, September 19, 2020. [2]
• Scott Merkin: "'All 30 teams want Garrett Crochet': All-Star ace faces trade rumors", mlb.com, July 9, 2024. [3]
• Scott Merkin: "Crochet K's 7 straight to start game and tie AL, White Sox record: Ace southpaw shines despite Chicago losing franchise-high 107th game of '24", mlb.com, September 1, 2024. [4]

Related Sites

• Garrett Crochet on mlb.com
• University of Tennessee bio