Garrett Crochet Not Satisfied With His Current Pitching

Garrett Crochet Thinks He’s Not Pitching at Intended Levels

Red Sox manager Alex Cora also felt Garrett Crochet could have pitched better on April 19.

“The stuff was good, but erratic,” Cora said. “Some deep counts, some two-strike hits. But on a night where he was OK, that’s what we get.”

Of the 24 White Sox batters Crochet faced, 10 forced at least five pitches from him. And three batters pushed him to six or more pitches. Three of the four hits Crochet gave up came with two strikes on the batter.

Six days earlier against the same White Sox, Crochet also faced 24 batters. 10 pushed him to at least five pitches and seven of them worked him to six or more pitches — over twice as many as his following start. However, he didn’t allow a hit until infielder Chase Meidroth smacked a one-out single in the bottom of the eighth inning. Plus he struck out 11, so criticisms were few.

Through five starts this season, Crochet is averaging nearly nine batters per game pushing him to at least five pitches per at-bat, and five working him to six or more pitches. Of the 19 hits he’s allowed, five have come with two strikes on the batter.

As for what Crochet’s “par” looks like, that’s tougher to gauge. Last season was his first full year since debuting in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. At this juncture in 2024, he was 1-3 with a 5.61 ERA and 34 strikeouts over 25 2/3 innings. Crochet was selected as an All-Star and went on to have a 6-12 record across 31 starts with a 3.58 ERA and 209 strikeouts. But Chicago severely capped his pitch count in the second half of the season, and he finished with 146 innings — the lowest of any pitcher with 29 or more starts.

Ace Standards

Several other factors could explain why Garrett Crochet is disappointed with his pitching thus far.

The star faces high expectations in his first season with the Red Sox. Boston gave up a big chunk of its future to get Crochet, including top catching prospect Kyle Teel. The trade also included three fellow Top 100 prospects: outfielder Braden Montgomery (No. 54), pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez (No. 14), and the aforementioned Meidroth (No. 11).

In addition to justifying that deal, Crochet also wants to prove that he’s worth the monetary investment that the Red Sox have made in him. On March 31, he signed a six-year, $170 million contract extension. The deal set an MLB record for the most guaranteed money for a player with four-plus years of service.

Crochet also may feel he’s “getting away with murder” after narrowly defeating the AL-worst White Sox on consecutive outings. Along with Chicago’s 5-18 record, there’s extra incentive for Crochet to dominate his former club. And he’s not getting much run support from the Red Sox offense. They’re averaging just three runs per game when Crochet starts, putting extra pressure on their ace to be at his best.

Considering all of these factors, Crochet’s concern that it’s “only a matter of time” before he gets “burned” is justified. Deep counts and two-strike hits could prove disastrous against more formidable lineups than the White Sox, especially if Red Sox bats remain cold.

On Thursday, Crochet will face the Seattle Mariners, who are currently tied for second in the AL West. And on April 30, he’s slated to start against the Toronto Blue Jays, who handed Crochet his lone loss of the season on April 8.