“I had never really picked a number since high school,” Crochet said Friday afternoon via Zoom. “And in high school I wore No. 14 which I also believe was retired [Jim Rice]. So it was just funny the way that it all worked out.”
The Red Sox were elated with how it worked out.
The Sox introduced the newly acquired Crochet Friday. Their ace, as chief baseball officer Craig Breslow recently proclaimed.
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“I think that the opportunity to play for the market of Boston, the fan base that’s representing the Red Sox, it’s about as great an opportunity as you can come by in this game,” said Crochet.
The Sox traded for Crochet on Wednesday, exchanging potential for immediate impact. They sent former first-round picks catcher Kyle Teel (2023) and outfielder Braden Montgomery (2024), infielder Chase Meidroth, and starter Wikelman Gonzalez to Chicago for a chance at winning the American League East again.
It cost a lot, but it’s the price of business — or victory.
“We needed to trade really good players in order to be able to do this,” said Breslow following the trade. “But that’s the cost right now. And we’re very much focused on what we were able to get. The excitement that we have around adding him to the rotation. It adds depth. It adds quality. Bona fide ace and someone we feel is going to continue to improve.”
The White Sox drafted Crochet 11th overall in 2020 with the intention of making him a starter. That was always the plan, according to Crochet. Plans, however, shifted. The COVID-19 shutdown delayed Crochet’s development. Then, in 2022, Crochet underwent Tommy John surgery. He never pitched an inning in the minors during his rise.
In 2024, the 25-year-old scratched the surface of what he could become, compiling a 3.58 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 146 innings over 32 starts. The White Sox had to limit Crochet’s innings, understanding he was new to starting. But when it comes to performance? He was one of the best in baseball.
“Transitioning to a starter is easier said than done,” said Crochet. “But at the same time, I felt like I was able to take it in stride really well. You’re just getting outs. You just happen to get more of them. So for me, there really wasn’t a big adjustment.”
The lights will be a lot brighter at Fenway than on the South Side of Chicago. The expectations will surpass those of the historically-bad White Sox, whose 121 losses in 2024 set a modern-day record.
Despite the small sample size, Crochet’s talent is astounding. Talent that the Sox have already started to shape.
“I believe I’m going to have a little bit more of an in-depth conversation next week with [pitching coach] Andrew Bailey and the rest of the staff,” said Crochet. “I already have a relationship kind of bridged from my former pitching coach, Ethan Katz, having known [Bailey] through the game. So I anticipate those conversations will come.”
Crochet’s biggest weapon is his four-seam fastball, which helped amplify his arsenal and produce a 35 percent strikeout percentage last season.
But his arsenal is limited mainly to fastball, cutter, and an occasional changeup. Crochet hopes to change that.
“I’ve done a little bit of thinking of it on my own,” said Crochet. “Just in terms of incorporating the sinker later in 2024, and feeling like I have truly five pitches that I could throw at any moment. So it’ll definitely be a fine-tuning game.”
The Red Sox have added life to its their rotation.
He’ll wear No. 35.
Julian McWilliams can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @byJulianMack.
