White Sox flame-throwing pitcher could be 2024 breakout star

The Chicago White Sox are projected to be one of the worst teams in the MLB this season but that hasn’t stopped them from getting creative when it comes to maximizing their talent. Good pitching can make a bad team a decent team and that’s what the White Sox might be aiming for in 2024.

Garrett Crochet, who Chicago selected in the first round of the 2020 draft, is taking a crack at starting in the big leagues after three years of relief work. The move could pay dividends for him and the White Sox who need pitchers who can give them innings and depth.

All 72 of Crochet’s appearances in the MLB have come in relief for the White Sox. He’s been successful in that role from day one, as he did not allow an earned run across his first nine MLB outings and allowed one total earned run in his first 23 appearances.

The White Sox were toward the bottom when it came to pitching last season, ranking 26th in team ERA and 23rd in starting pitcher ERA. That and more contributed to Chicago finishing with the fourth-worst record in the league and the franchise’s worst record since 1970.

Crochet has tossed 3.2 scoreless innings this spring, including 1.2 scoreless in a start. If he goes through the rest of spring training as a starter and pitches well, the White Sox will have made quite the move.

Of course, it has to translate to the regular season, but the fact that Chicago is giving Garrett Crochet a shot at claiming a spot in the starting rotation shows it is willing to change its way of thinking. At 24 years old this is the time for a gamble. Crochet’s track record shows he can go back to being a dominant reliever if starting doesn’t work out.