Boston Red Sox fans have plenty of reasons to be excited about their favorite team's trade for former Chicago White Sox starter Garrett Crochet.
The Red Sox finally secured a lefty for their rotation in one of the team's biggest offseason moves in years. As of now, he's Boston's No. 1 starter in a staff that previously lacked a clear front-of-the-rotation arm.
White Sox director of pitching Brian Bannister echoed Red Sox Nation's positive feelings about Crochet, but gave it more reason to be excited. Bannister, who worked as a scout and member of the pitching development team from 2015-19, shared his experience working with Crochet on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast.
"I think Garrett would've won the Cy Young last year if he had just been allowed to be himself," Bannister said. "I don't think it was in his best interest long term, but if you look at his rate stats — his ability to strike people out, his ability to get swing and miss in the zone, his ability to limit his walks — ...I think he's in the inner circle of the five best pitchers in baseball next year."
White Sox director of pitching praises Red Sox's newest arm, Garrett Crochet, in recent podcast appearance
Morning podcast: This is next-level pitching talk with @RealBanny, who offers up everything you want to know about the past, present and future of Garrett Crochet.
— Baseball Isn’t Boring (@BBisntBoring) December 16, 2024
Listen: https://t.co/xRdwhjSJlt pic.twitter.com/HwbdMmaupO
Crochet's rate stats indeed show the extent of his skill on the mound. His 3.58 ERA doesn't jump off the page, but his 1.1 home runs per nine innings, two walks per nine innings and 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings show just how elite he is at keeping runners off the bases.
Bannister also highlighted the adjustments Crochet has made to his pitches throughout his time in the big leagues. He changed his sweeper to a cutter against righties down the stretch and added additional movement to his deadly, near triple-digit two-seamer that allowed him to fan 209 batters in 146 innings in 2024. Crochet and Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey will surely work well together and it'll be interesting to see what Bailey can teach the 25-year-old after seeing his transformation of Tanner Houck last season.
Bannister equated Crochet to "an elite closer" who can go six innings. His command and 92nd-percentile fastball velocity will bring a new level of electricity to Boston's revamped rotation.