The mock drafts were mostly wrong over the course of the first 10 picks, but when it came to No. 11, they got it right.
The White Sox indeed drafted Tennessee lefty Garrett Crochet with their first-round pick.
The White Sox have had luck with hard-throwing low-slot lefties with durability concerns before, and they're going back to the well with Crochet, who doesn't turn 21 until the 21st of the month.
Over the past two seasons, Crochet has missed time due to a broken jaw (line drive) and a sore shoulder (precautionary reasons). He overpowered Wright State in his only performance of the 2020 season, sitting 97 mph with his fastball, and he hit 100 mph in post-stoppage bullpen sessions.
He doesn't have a rich track record of going to the post every five days with what he throws, which makes the bullpen a little too likely for some.
Speaking of which...
What does he throw?
Josh showed the evolution of Crochet's arsenal in detail here, but to summarize:
- Fastball: High-90s fastball with the second-highest spin rate in the draft class.
- Slider: Overtook his curve as his velocity jumped.
- Changeup: One that he shouldn't have thrown much in college.
PERTINENT: 2020 MLB Draft Player Profile: Garrett Crochet
Where did he rank?
In another comparison to Sale, Keith Law also likes Crochet the least:
- 2080 Baseball: No. 14
- Baseball America: No. 15
- ESPN.com: No. 16
- MLB.com: No. 18
- FanGraphs: No. 22
- Keith Law: No. 39
What's to like?
Read the reports, and all of them say something to the effect of "could have the best overall stuff in the class," as Baseball America did. Even Law agrees there, calling him "a huge arm, up to 99 with a grade-70 slider." The delivery itself doesn't generate concerns the way it did with Sale. Also, Crochet was a nuclear engineering major, which you don't often see in the draft.
What's not to like?
The short track record and severely abbreviated season means that Crochet didn't get to display any growth in command, and Law says specifically that he struggled with glove-side command. He wipes out lefties, but he could use improvement on the changeup to make himself more dangerous against righties.
While Sale is a popular comp, the White Sox also thought they were drafting safe arms with Zack Burdi and Carson Fulmer, and they haven't been able to click in either starting or bullpen roles.
What does he look like?
The top 10
Mock drafts blew up on the second pick, and they didn't recover after the third.
- Detroit Tigers: Spencer Torkelson, 3B, Arizona State
- Baltimore Orioles: Heston Kjerstad, OF, Arkansas
- Miami Marlins: Max Meyer, RHP, Minnesota
- Kansas City Royals: Asa Lacy, LHP, Texas A&M
- Toronto Blue Jays: Austin Martin, SS, Vanderbilt
- Seattle Mariners: Emerson Hancock, RHP, Georgia
- Pittsburgh Pirates: Nick Gonzales, SS, New Mexico State
- San Diego Padres: Robert Hassell III, OF, Independence HS (Tenn.)
- Colorado Rockies: Zac Veen, C, Spruce Creek HS (Fla.)
- Los Angeles Angels: Reid Detmers, LHP, Louisville
(Photo of Garrett Crochet by John Korduner/Icon Sportswire)
