Alex Cora Shares Funny Comparison For Red Sox Pitcher Garrett Crochet

With Garrett Crochet an early arrival for Boston Red Sox spring training, it gave Alex Cora a chance to get a good look at Boston’s most prized offseason acquisition.

It’s easy to say that Cora came away impressed by what he saw.

So much so that Cora on Tuesday compared Crochet to another dominant left-handed pitcher who recently donned a Red Sox uniform and helped Boston capture a World Series title in 2018.

“Big dude,” Cora told reporters, per team-provided video. “Hopefully Chris doesn’t take it personally, but he looks like Chris Sale, but stronger.”

There are obvious similarities between Crochet and Sale but also one major difference between the lefties that Cora pointed out. They both are listed at 6-foot-6 but while the slender Sale weighs 180 pounds, Crochet is much stockier at 245 pounds.

The Red Sox acquired both in splashy offseason trades with the Chicago White Sox, each time sending a haul of prospects to secure the frontline starter.

Like Sale, Crochet entered MLB as a reliever with the White Sox before transitioning to a full-time starter. Sale excelled as a starter, collecting eight All-Star nods — two of those came with the Red Sox — and earning National League Cy Young Award honors after going 18-3 with 2.38 ERA in his first season with the Atlanta Braves last year.

Crochet still has to prove he can be an elite starter, but he certainly has the right makeup for it. The 2024 campaign was the 25-year-old’s first time being a full-time starter in his career and he posted a 6-12 record with a 3.58 ERA, 1.068 WHIP and 209 strikeouts in 146 innings.

The White Sox were careful last season with Crochet, who missed the entire 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery. Crochet didn’t pitch more than four innings in his final 14 starts of the season.

The Red Sox will try to balance being protective of Crochet while unleashing him, too. And if Crochet turns into a version of Sale as the ace of the Boston’s staff, it could help the Red Sox reach the postseason for the first time since 2021.

“He’s very specific in his programs. Just knows what he wants to do. We have a good plan for him. Obviously, it’s different this year. Last year, they took care of him, now we have to take care of him so he can take care of us,” Cora said. “Excited about him. The stuff is real, the presence is real. Guys gravitate toward him, which is awesome.”