Garrett Crochet named Opening Day starter

[South Side Hit Men]

19 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

If he gets hurt, people will just say "Oh he would have never made it as a starter", when the org just can't help themselves but find the high risk things to do on the way. Send the guy walking into a minefield and if he doesn't make it across its his fault.

 

2 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

And when he gets hurt again,  you won't blame the people who made the decisions. We've seen that before, with this pitcher.

 

[Balta1701]

2 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

And hang on, kiddies, here's another right hand turn in this circular argument. Pitchers pitch. You say you are totally in favor of turning Crochet into a starting pitcher. But he can't be stretched out until he starts for years and years and years. 

Please tell us which month of 2026 you might let Crochet start a major league game. 

You're a silly person. 

I'd say right around July 1 if he stays healthy and has no set backs. Take it easy, ramp him up slowly, a couple innings per start at first, maybe even use an IL stint around mid-May to give his arm a break, and evaluate as you go. See how his arm holds up at first, build him up so maybe he can give you 5 innings, then let him face big leaguers.

Frankly, it probably wouldn't hurt him to have some days where he focuses on throwing his offspeed stuff as much as he can at AAA either. Go a whole inning or two without any fastballs, get the feel for both the changeup and slider as a starter would. 

[wegner]

2 hours ago, Bob Sacamano said:

O/U: 2.1 IP

I'll take the under

[Soxfest]

3 innings max 

[WhiteSox2023]

50 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

I feel they should bring up prospects as they show they can succeed at their current level. Crochet is a major league pitcher. He's supposedly worked out and stretched out all winter for a starter's work load. If Crochet is in future plans, treat him as such. 

[Balta1701]

2 minutes ago, Soxfest said:

3 innings max 

I'll take the over.

[Tnetennba]

1 hour ago, Bob Sacamano said:

Opening Day bullpen day let’s gooooo

We kinda knew there'd be a bullpen day in there pretty quick, but I don't think anyone thought it would be opening day! 

But to be completely fair, there are going to be quiet a few unplanned bullpen days all season long...

[Jerksticks]

There’s like 1500 innings that need to be thrown this year.  If him and Kopech get over 200 of those I’d call that a major success. 

[WestEddy]

7 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

I'd say right around July 1 if he stays healthy and has no set backs. Take it easy, ramp him up slowly, a couple innings per start at first, maybe even use an IL stint around mid-May to give his arm a break, and evaluate as you go. See how his arm holds up at first, build him up so maybe he can give you 5 innings, then let him face big leaguers.

Frankly, it probably wouldn't hurt him to have some days where he focuses on throwing his offspeed stuff as much as he can at AAA either. Go a whole inning or two without any fastballs, get the feel for both the changeup and slider as a starter would. 

I don't know why you think coming in from the bullpen and airing it out for a couple of innings on an inning's notice is better on his arm than a planned, 5-day routine where he's not throwing full velocity on each pitch. 

Something tells me that a group of professionals who coach pitching as their life's work know a bit more about the situation than two internet guys. 

[Tnetennba]

36 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

Yeah I don't care one iota about Reinsdorf's pocket book or the extra year of control here. This is a risky strategy because it's risky to take a guy with arm problems and no history of building up innings and put him into max-stress innings against big leaguers when you should be trying to build his arm up.

If he gets hurt, people will just say "Oh he would have never made it as a starter", when the org just can't help themselves but find the high risk things to do on the way. Send the guy walking into a minefield and if he doesn't make it across its his fault.

Honestly, neither do I. We have a recent example of trying this exact same thing with one Michael Kopech and we all know how that turned out. Different players and different bodies, but not dissimilar situations. Building up his innings and not needing to count on him as a regular starter seems prudent. I want Crochet to succeed in a starting role, and I'm by no means an expert on this stuff, but this seems like the riskiest way to use his limited innings.

[Balta1701]

Just now, WestEddy said:

I don't know why you think coming in from the bullpen and airing it out for a couple of innings on an inning's notice is better on his arm than a planned, 5-day routine where he's not throwing full velocity on each pitch. 

Something tells me that a group of professionals who coach pitching as their life's work know a bit more about the situation than two internet guys. 

I don't want him out of the bullpen! Putting him in the bullpen was Hahns thing, it was as intelligent as every other move Hahn made.

Send him to Charlotte, use him as an opener, build him up with 3 innings an outing against minor league competition for April, 4 innings per outing in May, give him a break there, move to 5 innings or so in June, then evaluate what his arm is doing, how his body is feeling, how his off speed pitches look, how his velocity has gone. If everything has gone to plan, call him back up mid-year and let him inch his way into the rotation with pretty clear innings limits in the second half. If there are any setbacks, be patient, and try to make sure you don't do anything that shreds his elbow or shoulder again.

Figure out when you want to shut him down from there - I am not as into the 80 innings limit as some people are, if he works his way up to the big leagues and throws more innings than that, at least I kept the intensity low on some of the early ones rather than having him go against big leaguers, but still be super cautious in the 2nd half about making sure he gets extra rest.

[SoxBlanco]

6 minutes ago, Jerksticks said:

There’s like 1500 innings that need to be thrown this year.  If him and Kopech get over 200 of those I’d call that a major success. 

Did you remember to subtract 81, since we won’t need a pitcher to cover the bottom of the ninth for any road game this year?

[Dick Allen]

6 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

I don't know why you think coming in from the bullpen and airing it out for a couple of innings on an inning's notice is better on his arm than a planned, 5-day routine where he's not throwing full velocity on each pitch. 

Something tells me that a group of professionals who coach pitching as their life's work know a bit more about the situation than two internet guys. 

You throw more pitches as a starter, He was hurt pre Covid when the Sox drafted him. He was hurt in the 2020 division series. He spent time on the IL in 2021, he missed 2022; and spent more time on the IL after he came back last year. I wish the guy well, but anyone who thinks his injuries are behind him is stoned.

[WhiteSox2023]

3 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

You throw more pitches as a starter, He was hurt pre Covid when the Sox drafted him. He was hurt in the 2020 division series. He spent time on the IL in 2021, he missed 2022; and spent more time on the IL after he came back last year. I wish the guy well, but anyone who thinks his injuries are behind him is stoned.

But did you know that he supposedly worked out and stretched out all winter for a starter’s work load?  He’s throwing Buehrle innings this year — 245!

Edited March 18 by WhiteSox2023

[Dick Allen]

He’s been compared a lot to Sale, and his career has gone like many figured Sales career would have gone, but Chris somehow  managed to stay relatively healthy for many seasons. Then it started happening. He gets hurt every year. Crochet is doing that as a guy in his early to mid 20s. 

[WestEddy]

5 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

You throw more pitches as a starter, He was hurt pre Covid when the Sox drafted him. He was hurt in the 2020 division series. He spent time on the IL in 2021, he missed 2022; and spent more time on the IL after he came back last year. I wish the guy well, but anyone who thinks his injuries are behind him is stoned.

Then it doesn't matter whether he starts or relieves, it sounds like. I think the regular routine of more pitches might even build him up better than the chaos of bullpen usage. 

[Balta1701]

2 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

Then it doesn't matter whether he starts or relieves, it sounds like. I think the regular routine of more pitches might even build him up better than the chaos of bullpen usage. 

And if there's any day during a major league season that is routine and forgettable, it's opening day.

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

2 hours ago, Harry Chappas said:

I don't think he throws over 170 any time soon so I was thinking 80 then 150. 

80 way too little. Conservative would be about 100-120 for me. If they want to make him a starter these are the things you have to do.

[Harold's Leg Lift]

15 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

You throw more pitches as a starter, He was hurt pre Covid when the Sox drafted him. He was hurt in the 2020 division series. He spent time on the IL in 2021, he missed 2022; and spent more time on the IL after he came back last year. I wish the guy well, but anyone who thinks his injuries are behind him is stoned.

Absolutely no one in the history of ever said his injuries are behind him.  He's very likely to get hurt again if he's a starter or a reliever so they may as well try to maximize his value before that happens. 

[Dick Allen]

9 minutes ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

Absolutely no one in the history of ever said his injuries are behind him.  He's very likely to get hurt again if he's a starter or a reliever so they may as well try to maximize his value before that happens. 

There are plenty of people who think he will be healthier as a starter. That's insane

 

[Balta1701]

16 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

80 way too little. Conservative would be about 100-120 for me. If they want to make him a starter these are the things you have to do.

At least to me, if you want to get him to 120 innings, the safest way to do that and perhaps the only way to do that is to drop the stress of some of those innings by making them minor league innings. 

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

4 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

There are plenty of people who think he will be healthier as a starter. That's insane

 

Truth is injuries themselves are not predictive as much as anyone wants to say otherwise. Could he be more likely based on his past? Sure. 

Not doing what best maximizes the players abilities and values due to some non-predictive fear is pointless imo. 

 

 

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

2 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

At least to me, if you want to get him to 120 innings, the safest way to do that and perhaps the only way to do that is to drop the stress of some of those innings by making them minor league innings. 

I don't really buy this. He's not giving less effort in the minors and the sox certainly aren't going to have any high stress games this year lol.

I don't hate the idea of maybe moving him to longer relief after the break sometime to keep him in routine but limit the work load.

[Autumn Dreamin]

Crochet has spoken repeatedly about how the five day routine of a starter feels better for him physically than prepping to go a couple times a week from the pen.

It seems like he is (currently, small sample size) having an easier time holding his velocity in the third inning of a single outing than he did in his second appearance in a week out of the pen last season. 

If you think he would have been capable of throwing a normal relief workload this season, It's not inconceivable that he could throw more innings (and stay healthier) by virtue of making half the appearances with a starter's rest in between.

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

1 hour ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Did someone actually state that Crochet is ready for a starter’s workload this season?  The same guy who has thrown 73 total major league innings since 2020?  There’s no way the Sox were expecting 150-180 innings out of Crochet this year.

Why do they need 180 innings from him? The point is to build him to that. They've got a free year to give it a go. They need to get him within about 60 innings of next years target.