MIAMI — Garrett Crochet has gone from reliever to starter to All-Star.
The Chicago White Sox left-hander earned All-Star honors for the first time in his career Sunday as he was named the team’s lone representative to the American League roster.
“Now that it’s real, it definitely has a different feel to it,” Crochet said. “Excited. Thankful for the people who voted. Thankful for my teammates. I wouldn’t be here without them. I know it’s been a bumpy season, but the relationships we formed in the clubhouse really makes it easy to go out there and play hard for the guys.
“Thankful for (catchers) Maldy (Martín Maldonado) and Korey (Lee). (Pitching coach Ethan) Katz has been huge. In-game adjustments have really kept me on a good track.”
Crochet spent the first three seasons of his big-league career in the Sox bullpen. He wanted a shot at starting and has more than made the most of the opportunity.
Crochet is 6-6 with a 3.08 ERA, 146 strikeouts and 23 walks in 19 starts. He leads the majors in strikeouts and strikeouts per nine innings (12.47).
“I know it’s been said a lot, but going back to spring training thinking I was going to start the year in (Triple-A) Charlotte and build up my innings to knowing I made the rotation to knowing it was going to be (the) opening day (starter), you know, having it culminate in being an All-Star is a really cool feeling,” Crochet said.
Crochet joined Jack McDowell (1991-93), Chris Sale (2012-16) and Carlos Rodón (2021) as Sox MLB draft first-round pitcher selections to make the AL All-Star team. The Sox selected Crochet in the first round of the 2020 draft out of Tennessee.
“I could give up five homers (in the All-Star Game) and I don’t really care,” Crochet said with a laugh. “Just excited to put the jersey on and kind of go through all the festivities.”
Crochet is the only major-league pitcher since at least 1901 to record 145-plus strikeouts with 23 walks or less over his first 19 career starts. He has allowed three runs or less in 13 straight starts since April 29, the longest stretch by a Sox since Mark Buehrle made 18 in a row from April 27-Aug. 11, 2011.
“I knew that my stuff would allow me to have a fighting chance but the confidence really brought me a long way,” Crochet said. “I think that’s what you carry out in an inning. When you don’t have your best stuff, that’s what gets you through.”
It’s been a week filled with accolades for Crochet. Wednesday, he was named the AL Pitcher of the Month for June.
“In an industry where everyone thought he was a reliever, he thought he was a starter,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “And now he’s probably one of the top five starters in the game and not only is he a starter, he’s an All-Star. Credit goes to him, our pitching guys and everybody that’s been a part of him getting to this point. I’m really proud of him.”
