The White Sox select LHP Garrett Crochet 11th overall in the 2020 MLB Draft

With the 11th pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, the White Sox have selected left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet out of Tennessee.

Garrett Crochet may be the college arm with the highest upside in the draft, but he has some open questions about him due to his limited track record as a starter as well as an injury scare that is fresh on teams’ minds. Crochet is a 6’6 and 220 pound lefty with a high octane fastball double plus fastball that has reached the triple digits as well as and as a slider that some scouts have put a 70 grade on. He does have a changeup although it lag behind the his first two pitches which doesn’t help the concerns that he could end up in the bullpen

Speaking of his reliever risk, it is definitely there and one reason is his lack of track record as a starter. He was used primarily out of the bullpen during his first two seasons at Tennessee, so it is unclear if Crochet and his prodigious stuff can withstand a full season at a starter’s workload. This concern has been amplified by the fact that he had to miss some time with the dreaded shoulder soreness earlier this season and with the shutdown, he didn’t get much of a chance to disprove those doubts about his durability. With Crochet, the upside is huge with a chance at getting a frontline starter, but there is also some very real health and reliever risk although with the latter, that could still pay big dividends as Crochet could be a late inning stud as well.