Garrett Crochet named Opening Day starter

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

32 minutes ago, Milkman delivers said:

How is it a “fun development” though. He’s simply the only option that’s been on the team. We have no ace and we don’t even have a #1 starter by any decent team’s standards, so you go with the guy who’s been on the team the longest.

You are correct that it’s a lost season. That’s why the reactions are mostly people who just don’t care. The ones getting upset or defensive are likely just doing it as a coping mechanism due to the repeated failures of the franchise.

The people upset about it are Randy Quaid in Major League. The people who don’t care are all the empty seats around him.

As far as getting the extra time back it wouldn't be an issue. It very rarely is and the Sox have valid reasons to keep him in the minors given his injury and  starting pitching lack of innings history.

I don't think you having a different opinion from me is a big deal. I just want him healthy and want him to succeed as a starting pitcher . If he can actually stay healthy and attain his goal I want his success to be with the Sox and not another team.

Of course that's the selfish fan viewpoint. A future with healthy Crochet starting pitcher is better than the future without him.

I know he rather be with the Sox than in the minors , stay healthy , pitch well and get to free agency as fast as possible and cash in . I wish him well but I'm not optimistic that your way or my way will ever work if I go by his past injuries. We'll just have to wait and see.

[Milkman delivers]

1 minute ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

As far as getting the extra time back it wouldn't be an issue. It very rarely is and the Sox have valid reasons to keep him in the minors given his injury and  starting pitching lack of innings history.

I don't think you having a different opinion from me is a big deal. I just want him healthy and want him to succeed as a starting pitcher . If he can actually stay healthy and attain his goal I want his success to be with the Sox and not another team.

Of course that's the selfish fan viewpoint. A future with healthy Crochet starting pitcher is better than the future without him.

I know he rather be with the Sox than in the minors , stay healthy , pitch well and get to free agency as fast as possible and cash in . I wish him well but I'm not optimistic that your way or my way will ever work if I go by his past injuries. We'll just have to wait and see.

I’m guessing you meant to quote WestEddy? My opinion of Crochet is that he’s already been ruined and the best we can hope for is a marginal major leaguer.

[WestEddy]

47 minutes ago, Milkman delivers said:

How is it a “fun development” though. He’s simply the only option that’s been on the team. We have no ace and we don’t even have a #1 starter by any decent team’s standards, so you go with the guy who’s been on the team the longest.

Yeah, it's a rebuilding year. Please don't bother telling me that you were told it wouldn't be one. 

If you need somebody to explain what "fun" is, maybe you need to get out more often. I mean, I suppose that to all the highly esteemed scientists of watching sports on TeeVee, one can't be happy or excited about team developments. It's all data. 

Crochet's a great comeback story. First rounder. Multiple injuries. That's a nice, unemotional, Mr. Spock take, though. 

[Milkman delivers]

1 minute ago, WestEddy said:

Yeah, it's a rebuilding year. Please don't bother telling me that you were told it wouldn't be one. 

If you need somebody to explain what "fun" is, maybe you need to get out more often. I mean, I suppose that to all the highly esteemed scientists of watching sports on TeeVee, one can't be happy or excited about team developments. It's all data. 

Crochet's a great comeback story. First rounder. Multiple injuries. That's a nice, unemotional, Mr. Spock take, though. 

Dude, you’re getting way too upset about this. People are mocking a non-story. It’s not a big deal.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Just now, Milkman delivers said:

I’m guessing you meant to quote WestEddy? My opinion of Crochet is that he’s already been ruined and the best we can hope for is a marginal major leaguer.

😂 Yes I did! As soon as I hit submit I was like "s%*#"!!

He may be ruined but sure would be nice to see him overcome all his injuries and succeed. It just feels like a longshot.

[Dick Allen]

3 minutes ago, Milkman delivers said:

I’m guessing you meant to quote WestEddy? My opinion of Crochet is that he’s already been ruined and the best we can hope for is a marginal major leaguer.

I think he's pretty good when healthy. It is what it is. I'm more pissed off the Sox are in a position to have him be the OD starter than he actually being the OD starter. On the bright side, he being the OD starter is better than Gavin Sheets being the OD RF, which may have only been stopped by the Tigers starting a lefty.

[Milkman delivers]

1 minute ago, Dick Allen said:

I think he's pretty good when healthy. It is what it is. I'm more pissed off the Sox are in a position to have him be the OD starter than he actually being the OD starter. On the bright side, he being the OD starter is better than Gavin Sheets being the OD RF, which may have only been stopped by the Tigers starting a lefty.

He definitely is, but he’s just never gonna be healthy. It just is what it is.

And I believe you’re absolutely right about Sheets.

[SoxBlanco]

4 hours ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Having him spend the first 45 days of the season in AAA and gradually work up his innings makes much more sense to me.  First, it helps protect your bullpen to open up the season.  Second, it claws backs a year of control which is very important in the event he wears out in June or July.

Why do we care about protecting the bullpen? Honest question, as I might be missing something.

The way I look at it is that either...

• Our team is so bad that it won't matter if our bullpen is taxed. It's a lost season anyway, so why worry about the bullpen?

Or...

• We do care about the bullpen, because there's always an outside chance we could compete in our division. And if that's the case, then I'd want Crochet making his starts in the big leagues to start the year.

[Tnetennba]

6 hours ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Just heard on the radio that Crochet hasn’t pitched 4 innings in a game since college.

Hasn't started a game that counts since 2020, in college.

[Bob Sacamano]

5 minutes ago, Tnetennba said:

Hasn't started a game that counts since 2020, in college.

And that was like, 3 innings.

[Tnetennba]

4 minutes ago, Bob Sacamano said:

And that was like, 3 innings.

Yup

[Tnetennba]

The Sox org is allergic to using the term 'opener' but that's essentially what this will be. I still think this has more to do with desperately trying to pump fan interest and sell a few more OD tix than it does win a game or a pitcher's development as a starter. Best case scenario IMO is that he pitches well as an opener every 5 days and is flippable come the deadline.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

28 minutes ago, SoxBlanco said:

Why do we care about protecting the bullpen? Honest question, as I might be missing something.

The way I look at it is that either...

• Our team is so bad that it won't matter if our bullpen is taxed. It's a lost season anyway, so why worry about the bullpen?

Or...

• We do care about the bullpen, because there's always an outside chance we could compete in our division. And if that's the case, then I'd want Crochet making his starts in the big leagues to start the year.

 

  They are people on our favorite baseball and we want them to be healthy and not be overworked so they can maximize their chances for successful productivity so they can be traded off this team.

[Bob Sacamano]

Realistically, how many innings can we expect from him this year? @ptatc?

[Balta1701]

13 minutes ago, Tnetennba said:

The Sox org is allergic to using the term 'opener' but that's essentially what this will be. I still think this has more to do with desperately trying to pump fan interest and sell a few more OD tix than it does win a game or a pitcher's development as a starter. Best case scenario IMO is that he pitches well as an opener every 5 days and is flippable come the deadline.

I will be excited to be proved wrong, but I don't think they can resist their own urges enough to use him as a true 3 inning opener. I think Grifol is going to say he's a starter so we have to use him as a starter and that means 5 innings first time out.

They couldn't resist the temptation of using him on opening day, why should we expect them to be responsible about his innings total?

[Tnetennba]

6 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

I will be excited to be proved wrong, but I don't think they can resist their own urges enough to use him as a true 3 inning opener. I think Grifol is going to say he's a starter so we have to use him as a starter and that means 5 innings first time out.

They couldn't resist the temptation of using him on opening day, why should we expect them to be responsible about his innings total?

Oh I have zero faith that this is going to go well, nor will I be surprised if they completely bungle his usage. 

[Dick Allen]

38 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

I will be excited to be proved wrong, but I don't think they can resist their own urges enough to use him as a true 3 inning opener. I think Grifol is going to say he's a starter so we have to use him as a starter and that means 5 innings first time out.

They couldn't resist the temptation of using him on opening day, why should we expect them to be responsible about his innings total?

As dumb as they are, I don't think they are that stupid. I think one of the reasons for the Opening Day assignment is the off day that follows to get the bullpen reset. Unless he throws a couple of 9 pitch innings, I doubt he makes it into the 4th.

[Timmy U]

If the Sox started on the road and Crochet started the home opener, this would be a nothing burger. Their actual opener is not really any different. Especially considering they are kicking off a 162 game exhibition season. The debate is really over whether they should give Crochet a shot to start at all. I say they should because three years of a high leverage reliever when there is no such thing as high leverage for a 65 win team is meaningless. Now, I do get the folks who want to claw back a year of service time, but that is a hard argument in the clubhouse when the alternatives in the majors would be, I don’t know, Touki Toussaint and Chad Kuhl? If Touki had been merely bad this spring, I could buy it, but his control has been so bad, it seems that over the winter he lost the concept of “throw.” Starting is Garrett’s dream. It will be fun to root for him as he tries to realize it.

[Milkman delivers]

7 hours ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Just heard on the radio that Crochet hasn’t pitched 4 innings in a game since college.

 

1 hour ago, Tnetennba said:

Hasn't started a game that counts since 2020, in college.

 

1 hour ago, Bob Sacamano said:

And that was like, 3 innings.

What is the most innings he’s pitched in a game, including college?

Sorry if this has been answered already.

[Bob Sacamano]

27 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

As dumb as they are, I don't think they are that stupid. I think one of the reasons for the Opening Day assignment is the off day that follows to get the bullpen reset. Unless he throws a couple of 9 pitch innings, I doubt he makes it into the 4th.

Agreed. Only thing that kind of messes that up is if the game gets PPD to the next day. Then you are playing 13 games in a row with no off days.

[BigHurt3515]

2 hours ago, Bob Sacamano said:

Realistically, how many innings can we expect from him this year? @ptatc?

I would think if he stays healthy hoping for 80-90 innings would be ideal

[chitownsportsfan]

8 minutes ago, BigHurt3515 said:

I would think if he stays healthy hoping for 80-90 innings would be ideal

Talked about this a bit with @ptatc he can make like 20-25 starts for about 75-90 innings. It's a different game now, if he averages 4 innings a start that's not bad, not great, but not bad. Key will be 4 innings and 2 runs, not 4.

[WestEddy]

4 hours ago, Balta1701 said:

I will be excited to be proved wrong, but I don't think they can resist their own urges enough to use him as a true 3 inning opener. I think Grifol is going to say he's a starter so we have to use him as a starter and that means 5 innings first time out.

They couldn't resist the temptation of using him on opening day, why should we expect them to be responsible about his innings total?

I'm guessing that Katz and Bannister are making this call, not really Grifol. Or if Grifol decided on it, that was based on very narrow stipulations. He's probably good to go on an inning/pitch limit, and a game/pitch limit. And they'll increase that as they feel he's able to push it. 

I swear, everybody believes the same dichotomy the right does about Biden - that he's an ineffective, senile simp who can't even wipe the drool off his own face, but who is masterminding the enslavement of mankind by playing 4 dimensional chess. if Grifol is an imbecile who is only being kept on because JR doesn't want to pay 2 managers at a time, why would they be letting him make key decisions like this?

[Balta1701]

6 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

I'm guessing that Katz and Bannister are making this call, not really Grifol. Or if Grifol decided on it, that was based on very narrow stipulations. He's probably good to go on an inning/pitch limit, and a game/pitch limit. And they'll increase that as they feel he's able to push it. 

I swear, everybody believes the same dichotomy the right does about Biden - that he's an ineffective, senile simp who can't even wipe the drool off his own face, but who is masterminding the enslavement of mankind by playing 4 dimensional chess. if Grifol is an imbecile who is only being kept on because JR doesn't want to pay 2 managers at a time, why would they be letting him make key decisions like this?

Why exactly should I have any confidence at all in Ethan Katz when basically I haven't seen anything positive in terms of big league pitching performance since the sticky stuff ban started?

[baseball_gal_aly]

4 hours ago, Dick Allen said:

As dumb as they are, I don't think they are that stupid. I think one of the reasons for the Opening Day assignment is the off day that follows to get the bullpen reset. Unless he throws a couple of 9 pitch innings, I doubt he makes it into the 4th.