Ex-Red Sox All-Star Passes On Advice To ‘Stud’ Garrett Crochet

Chris Sale was once in Garrett Crochet’s cleats.

Like Crochet, Sale was traded from the Chicago White Sox to the Boston Red Sox during the 2016 offseason for four prospects and was immediately viewed as the clear ace of the starting rotation.

So, there’s no one more capable to know what Crochet is about to go through than Sale as Crochet faces massive expectations in his first season with the Red Sox. Sale has full confidence in Crochet on the mound, but he did pass along some advice to his younger counterpart on Rob Bradford’s “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast.

“You know how it goes when you’re with Boston. There is a lot of riff-raff with outside noise and things like that,” Sale said. “I would just probably tell him to do his best to block that out. Based off what I’ve learned, whether you’re doing really good or doing really bad, the job is the same. He’s in a position to man that staff and to be able to handle all the pressure that comes with who he is, where he’s at and what he needs to do there.”

Sale was already an established All-Star when he got traded to the Red Sox. Crochet is still looking to prove he can be one of the most dominant pitchers in MLB.

Crochet, who Red Sox manager Alex Cora compared to a “stronger” Sale, joins the Red Sox with only one season of starting experience under his belt. The 6-foot-6, 245-pound lefty flashed plenty of promise in that role last season, though, posting a 3.58 ERA and 1.068 WHIP while recording 209 strikeouts in 146 innings.

And if the Red Sox can continue to tap into his potential, Boston’s new ace could really take off this season. And that wouldn’t shock Sale one bit.

“There’s a lot to be excited about for those fans. He’s a stud,” Sale said. “What he showed he could do last year as a building block to further that this year, they should be excited. I’ve heard nothing but good things and what he does on the field is nothing short of amazing. So, he should be all right.”