Despite throwing just 12.2 innings in the previous two seasons due to injuries, never starting a major league game, and having the worst-ranked defense in the MLB behind him, Garrett Crochet pitched well enough to be named the 2024 AL Comeback Player of the Year.
In his first season as a starting pitcher, Crochet quickly emerged as one of the lone bright spots on a historic 121-loss White Sox team. But his path to being a successful starting pitcher wasn’t an easy one.
After bursting onto the scene weeks after being selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2020 June amateur draft, Crochet made his MLB debut. The left-hander out of the University of Tennesee was immediately thrown in some high-leverage situations for a White Sox team vying for a division title. During his MLB debut on September 18, he entered a nationally televised game against the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth inning. He struck out two batters en route to a scoreless inning. Crochet fired a total of five scoreless innings on the season and threw 45 of his 85 pitches over 100 mph, the second-highest total in the MLB. But in Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series in Oakland, Crochet was forced to leave the game early with left forearm tightness.
He spent the 2021 season in the White Sox bullpen and posted a 2.82 ERA in 54.1 innings while averaging 12 strikeouts per nine innings. But in 2022 he was forced to leave a spring training game against Cincinnati. It was later revealed that he needed to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery. He returned to the mound for the first time on May 18th, 2023 but a pair of stints on the injured list limited him to just 13 appearances out of the bullpen.
After missing nearly two seasons due to injury, Crochet decided that he wanted to fulfill his dream of becoming a starting pitcher. He went to the White Sox front office during the offseason, who gave him the green light to give it a shot.
Crochet put in a tremendous amount of work before spring training, and not only earned a spot in the rotation but the nod as the Opening Day starter. He added a new cutter to his repertoire and honed in on his fastball command. By season’s end, he was the White Sox lone All-Star representative and one of 26 26 players to be named an All-MLB starting pitcher nominee.
Crochet went 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA and a 4.1 WAR. His 35.1 percent strikeout rate ranked in the top two percent of all MLB pitchers, while his 205 strikeouts ranked seventh in the MLB. The 25-year-old was leading the MLB in strikeouts at the end of June, but an inning restriction from the White Sox limited him to just four innings or less in every start after June 30th.
Crochet’s numbers could have been even better if not for the shotty defense and limited run support he received all season. His 2.83 expected ERA placed him inside baseball’s top ten percent of pitchers. His 5.5 percent walk rate, .206 opponent expected batting average, and 97.2 mph average fastball velocity placed him well above league average. Crochet also led the White Sox in strikeouts and games started.
His efforts will likely be rewarded by being traded to another team this offseason.
