Garrett Crochet's Return: Game-Changer For White Sox Bullpen

Pitchers and catchers reported to White Sox camp yesterday. Unfortunately for the White Sox, Mike Clevinger and the MLB's ongoing investigation into domestic violence allegations against him dominated the headlines. But buried underneath the avalanche of Mike Clevinger talk came some good news. Left-handed reliever Garrett Crochet is set to return to the bullpen in May after undergoing Tommy John surgery just before the start of last season.

"I think Garrett Crochet is probably, in addition to Liam, our only lingering health issue from the offseason," Rick Hahn told reporters during his Wednesday media session. "He's progressing quite well. We view him as continuing to build during camp. He will not appear in Cactus League games, however.

"We suspect he will be on a rehab assignment sometime in April and with the possibility of rejoining the club if everything goes smoothly sometime in approximately mid-May. As is usually the case, we'll have a grasp on his timeline once he's out on a rehab assignment, likely in April."

For a team that has been snake-bitten with injuries throughout the last two seasons, this is music to White Sox fans' ears. Crochet felt a pop in his elbow during a Cactus League appearance, and after receiving two different medical opinions, it was determined that season-ending surgery was the best option. As a result, the 23-year-old did not appear during the 2022 season. Crochet was clearly missed as the White Sox bullpen dropped from the fifth-best ERA in the AL in 2021 to 12th during his absence in 2022.

With Liam Hendriks out indefinitely, the former 11th overall pick will give Pedro Grifol's pitching staff a much-needed boost. The only left-handed relievers that appeared out of the bullpen for the White Sox last season were Tanner Banks, Aaron Bummer, Bennett Sousa, Jake Diekman, and Anderson Servino. Only Banks and Bummer produced a sub-four ERA.

Just weeks after being drafted, Crochet burst onto the scene, firing six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts, no walks, and only allowed three hits. The southpaw from Tenessee jumped to second in the MLB in just five appearances with 45 pitchers over 100 plus mph.

Crochet was then called upon in the White Sox do-or-die postseason game and struck out the only two hitters he faced before exiting with an apparent forearm strain. The forearm strain seemed to be a warning sign.

His average fastball velocity dipped from 100.1 mph to 96.7 mph. It didn't matter much as Crochet proved to be effective once again. In 54.1 innings of work, he posted a 2.82 ERA with 65 strikeouts and a 1.27 WHIP. He didn't allow a home run until June, and his strikeout rate ranked in the top 20 percentile in MLB. Meanwhile, his strikeout rank placed him in the 80th percentile and his whiff rate in the 70th.

The hitters had a tough time squaring him up, posting just a .314 expected slugging percentage, which placed Crochet in the top eight percent of the league.

While shaking off the rust after a year of rehabbing is an obvious setback, Crochet should still be in an excellent position to have his best season. Often time pitchers return from Tommy John surgery throwing even harder than before. That is terrible news for the rest of the league. Even with his drop in speed in 2021, Crochet's fastball velocity still ranked in the 92 percentile. His extension, which measures exactly how much closer a pitcher's release point is to home plate, was in the 95th percentile. This was aided by his 6'6" stature. Pair that with his high leg kick and deceptive delivery, and it could make for some very uncomfortable hitters on the receiving end.

Patience will be required with Crochet. The early returns may not be promising, but once the hard-throwing lefty returns to form, he could turn into the best weapon in the White Sox bullpen.