Pregame Notes: Garrett Crochet Revenge Game

The headline is obligatory, because the feel around Garrett Crochet's trajectory--even with a positive spin--is that the White Sox developed him into someone worthy of helming a contending rotation, for a franchise that is actually willing to pay him like a top-tier player. To put it in Boston terms, Crochet is Matt Damon's character at the end of Good Will Hunting, and pitching coach Ethan Katz is Ben Affleck. Feel free to pontificate in the comments on which Sox figure is Casey Affleck's character.

"I'm thrilled for him," said Katz. "That contract he got, very well deserved. He's one of the best arms I've ever seen in person, that I've worked with. It's a special pitcher. Hopefully not today. But he's been really fun to watch in his development from '21 to '24."

If the Chicago Fire developed a young player well enough that an English Premier League team swooped in and bought him for a huge transfer fee, the MLS team would rightly see it as a huge compliment for their operation. The feeling is similar here, since asking Crochet about the other side of the trade is kind of like asking a soccer player if he still thinks about the money he was purchased with.

"Not really, no," Crochet said on if he hopes the trade works out for the White Sox. "If it does, cool. If it doesn't, cool. I'm just hoping to keep stacking starts and make sure it works out for Boston."

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With all due apologies to the last place Twins and the always-feisty Guardians, a Red Sox lineup looking to stave a more embarrassing weekend than they have already made for themselves will be the biggest test yet for Shane Smith. Davis Martin has already been a model for how quickly opposing teams will pivot to plan around a new, super-charged changeup, and Smith busted out his curveball and slider a bit to finish out his scoreless six innings in Cleveland.

Katz said Smith will need to work to keep the eye levels of opposing hitters above all his secondary outings going forward.

"He has a great fastball," Katz said. "Everyone knows how much I downplay fastballs, but he has a great fastball. And one of the things is getting him up in the zone, particularly with some of these lefties on this Red Sox team, we know what we can do when we get up in the zone. That can impact them and definitely help the secondary stuff."

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Through six bullpen appearances, Mike Clevinger is striking out 9.1 percent of hitters and walking 31.8 percent. Flip those rates, and you've really got something. Katz views him as simply behind schedule due to his late signing.

"He started later than everybody, and so his workload, he went out the other day and did one-plus [innings]," Katz said. "That was the first time he's done one-plus, so the workload for him - it's not spring training, but he's still like hitting some milestones that guys were able to hit in spring training. The stuff, we like where his stuff is at. It’s the repetition and getting consistent with it is going to be huge for his success."

One-plus is commonly used terms with relievers for whenever they enter a game, finish an inning and go back out for the next frame. It's higher level physical challenge than just coming in full of adrenaline and working a single inning, and you typically see relievers graduate to it midway through spring.

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The White Sox had Katz do a pregame scrum on Sunday in lieu of Will Venable. It's a maneuver other teams have done in previous years, and the Sox might do more with other coaching staff members throughout the season.

Against the Red Sox, the White Sox are 17-11 since 2021. The White Sox also need just 20 more home wins to eclipse last year's total of 23.

First pitch: White Sox vs. Red Sox

TV: CHSN+ (Yes, because of the Bulls)

Radio: ESPN 1000 AM, WTRO 1200 AM (Spanish)

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