Garrett Crochet’s inaugural start promises to be an unforgettable moment.
The Chicago White Sox have entrusted Crochet with the opening day assignment, highlighting their confidence in his transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation. Despite his previous 72 relief appearances, the hard-throwing pitcher will take the mound on March 28 against the Detroit Tigers to kick off the season.
“Very shocked to say the least,” Crochet expressed to reporters on Monday. “I heard they had some exciting news for me, and I thought it was just that I’d made the rotation.”
Following the trade of Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres last week, the White Sox faced a void for the opening-day starter role. Crochet, aged 24, has left a mark this spring with an impressive display, tallying 12 strikeouts and zero walks across nine scoreless innings. Notably, he has only started in one of his four Cactus League appearances.
Standing tall at 6-foot-6, Crochet was the No. 11 overall pick by Chicago in the 2020 amateur draft from the University of Tennessee. His 2022 season was sidelined due to Tommy John surgery.
Throughout his career, he boasts a 3-7 record with a 2.71 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 73 innings. Now, the opportunity arises for him to showcase his capabilities as a starter. “It’s humbling and very gratifying,” Crochet remarked.
“I worked my tail off this spring, had a lot of solid veterans to lean on this camp and was able to put together a good couple of outings. I feel like I earned it. I feel like I’ve kind of been waiting for this moment but didn’t really know if it would come, so to be awarded this, it’s a huge honor.”
