Crochet played college baseball for the Tennessee Volunteers and was selected by the White Sox with the 11th overall selection of the 2020 MLB draft. He was called up in September 2020 by the White Sox to become the first MLB player in six years to reach the big leagues in the same year in which he was drafted.[1][2]
As a true freshman at Tennessee in 2018, Crochet appeared in 17 games with 11 starts, posting a 5–6 record with a 5.51 ERA and 62 strikeouts.[8] In 2019, his sophomore year, he went 5–3 with a 4.02 ERA over 18 appearances (six starts), missing the SEC Tournament after suffering a broken jaw in his last regular season start.[9][10] After the season Crochet was invited to training camp for the United States Collegiate National Baseball Team,[11][12] and entered his junior season as a first team preseason All-American by Baseball America and on the watch list for the Golden Spikes Award.[13][14][15] Crochet missed the first three weeks of the season due to arm soreness,[16] then appeared in one game before the college baseball season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Professional career
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox selected Crochet in the first round, with the 11th overall selection, in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft,[17] and he signed a contract on June 22, 2020, that included a $4,547,500 bonus.[18]
On September 18, 2020, Crochet became the first player from the 2020 MLB Draft class to be promoted to the major leagues. He is the 22nd player to go straight from the draft to the majors without playing in the minor leagues, and the first since Mike Leake in 2010 and was the first player to be promoted in their draft year since Brandon Finnegan in 2014.[19] With the 2020 Chicago White Sox, Crochet appeared in five games, not allowing a run in six innings pitched while consistently throwing 100 miles per hour (160 km/h).[20][21] He came out of the bullpen to strike out both batters he faced in Chicago's 6–4 loss to the Oakland Athletics in the decisive Game 3 of the 2020 American League Wild Card Series before leaving with forearm tightness.[22] Crochet had his first full season in 2021, when he recorded a 2.82 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 54+1⁄3 innings. He would miss the entire 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on April 2.[23]
In 2023, Crochet made his return from surgery, appearing in 13 games and recording a 3.55 ERA with 12 strikeouts across 12+2⁄3 innings pitched.[24]
On March 18, 2024, Crochet was named the White Sox Opening Day starting pitcher.[25] In his first start, Crochet went 6 innings giving up 5 hits, one run, and striking out 8 batters in a 1–0 loss to the Detroit Tigers. He was named MLB Pitcher of the Month for June that year becoming the 17th White Sox pitcher to do so. In the month of June, Crochet went 1–1 with an ERA of 1.91 with a 0.93 WHIP in 37+2⁄3 innings while striking out 56 batters in six starts.[26] On July 7, Crochet would be named to his first All-Star Game in his career.[27] In the first half of the season, Crochet was 6–6 with an 3.02 ERA and a WHIP of 0.95 in 20 starts in 107+1⁄3 innings, while leading the league in strikeouts with 150 and strikeouts per 9 innings at 12.6.
Crochet made 32 starts for the White Sox in 2024, posting a 3.58 ERA with 209 strikeouts across 146 innings pitched, setting a new career-high.[28] After the season, he was named AL Comeback Player of the Year.[29]
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