MLB Writer Highlights Pressing Garrett Crochet Question For Second Half

The Boston Red Sox couldn’t have asked for a better start to Garrett Crochet’s tenure.

Acquired from the Chicago White Sox in an offseason blockbuster, Crochet begins the second half prominently in the American League Cy Young Award race. In just his second season as a starting pitcher, Crochet has notched a 2.23 ERA and MLB-leading 160 strikeouts.

Perhaps even more notable is Crochet’s 129 1/3 innings, the most of any hurler at the break. The 26-year-old is already rapidly approaching last season’s 146 frames, a massive climb over the former reliever’s previous career high.

FanGraphs’ Ben Clemens identified Crochet’s “pursuit of a full year” among his top second-half storylines. Clemens is pleasantly surprised by how the Red Sox have handled the 6-foot-6 southpaw.

“I love that Boston is letting him work deep into games instead of babying him all year,” Clemens wrote. “But even with all of that, I never thought he’d make a run at 200 innings.”

Clemens noted that Crochet is on pace to approach the 219 combined innings he pitched in the majors from 2020 to 2024 this season alone.

“That shouldn’t feel so likely. It shouldn’t seem so obvious. But Crochet is making it look easy, and when you watch the guy pitch, it just makes sense,” Clemens said. “He’s huge, tall and muscular, the kind of frame that screams ‘power pitcher.’ He’s economical on the mound and his delivery looks simple and repeatable.”

Still, it’s fair to wonder if he’ll hold up with such a huge workload jump. The White Sox handled Crochet with extreme caution last year, not letting him record an out beyond the fourth inning after the All-Star break.

Boston presumably has different plans for its ace. Clemens wrote that Crochet has “cast off those chains” of durability concerns, so he doesn’t seem to be in favor of monitoring the All-Star’s innings down the stretch.

“I’m not worried about his durability any more than I am with any other pitcher,” he wrote. “And yet, when he succeeds, I get a little extra enjoyment from knowing how unlikely this felt a year ago. The Red Sox are in playoff position at the moment, and that’s even more incentive to let Crochet cook.”