Stats: 2 GS, 1-1, 1.38 ERA, 13.0 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 16 K
Armed with a high-octane fastball and a wipeout slider, Garrett Crochet was taken No. 11 overall in the 2020 draft, and he jumped straight to the majors and made his MLB debut later that year with six scoreless innings of relief for a Chicago White Sox team that reached the playoffs.
The following year he was one of the team's top setup relievers, logging a 2.82 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 10.8 K/9 with 13 holds in 54 appearances, but his entire 2022 campaign was wiped out by Tommy John surgery.
The 24-year-old made 13 relief appearances in his return to the mound last year, but the new front office decided to shift him back into a starting role this spring after he served as a starter at the University of Tennessee.
The late-spring move to trade Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres thrust Crochet into the role of Opening Day starter, and he has logged a pair of quality starts to open the 2024 season against the Detroit Tigers (6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 8 K) and Atlanta Braves (7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 8 K).
With a fastball that has averaged 97.0 mph, a slider that has generated a 33.3 percent whiff rate and an improved cutter that serves as a solid third offering, he has the stuff to be a legitimate breakout star in the South Siders rotation.
Buy or Sell: Buy
