Garrett Crochet will take the ball for Boston when the Red Sox battle the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on Thursday.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora offered significant insight on what Boston and its fans can expect from the new ace this season when he joined WEEI Afternoons with Andy Hart, Nick Stevens and Ted Johnson on Wednesday.
“We’re about to see, but physically, he is (ready),” Cora said. “This guy’s a monster. He’s big and strong and the way he goes about his business in the training room, in the weight room, is ace-like. But now, obviously, we’ve gotta go out every five days and prove it. We’re gonna let him go.
“The expectation are 30-plus starts, and help us win as many games as possible. I truly believe physically, he’s different than others.”
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Cora continued: “You’ll see him. He’s ready to go, but we’ve gotta be smart about it, too. The way the season starts, there are a lot of games early on, and then the schedule actually benefits us in June, July and August. We’ll take care of him, and if we do that, he’ll take care of us.”
Last season with the Chicago White Sox, Crochet was an underrated strikeout artist. He averaged 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings. All eyes will be on him to see if he can carry that into Boston.
There are high hopes for the Red Sox heading into the 2025 MLB season, with many people betting on them to be competitive in the AL East. And it all starts with the rotation.
