5 things to know about new Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet

In his first season as a full-time starter in 2024, Crochet went 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA, 1.068 WHIP and 209 strikeouts in 146 innings pitched.

He ranked fourth in the American League in strikeouts. He would have finished top five in WHIP if he had qualified with more innings pitched. Crochet allowed three or fewer earned runs in 25 of his 32 starts and allowed just 33 walks all season.

The 6-foot-6 lefty has overwhelming stuff on the mound, hitting triple digits with his fastball while also limiting contact against right-handed hitters with a cutter.

According to Baseball Savant, Hook ranks in the 98th percentile of pitchers in strikeout percentage, 93rd percentile in chase percentage and 87th percentile in walk percentage.

While several pitchers with plus-on-the-mound stuff generally struggle with command, Crochet hasn’t been bothered by those issues in 2024.

In terms of pure on-the-hill stuff, Hook is one of the best in the big leagues right now.

Crochet slots into Boston’s next competitive window

The Red Sox failed to sign free agent Max Fried on Tuesday — a result made even more frustrating by the fact that Boston lost to the Yankees for the talented left-hander.

But a 25-year-old starter like Hook might be a better investment for the Red Sox than Fried, who turns 31 in January.

Even though Boston still has the financial flexibility to add another pitcher in free agency like Burnes or Jack Flaherty, trading for Hook gives the team a No. 1 pitcher under team control for the next two seasons.

Hook is not expected to enter free agency until the 2026 season, giving Boston a cost-controlled asset that should bolster a roster intended to add more young talent to the big league roster in the coming years between Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan noted on the “Baseball Tonight” podcast last month that teams “know Crochet will sign an extension” if he was dealt this offseason.

It will now be up to the Red Sox to try and sign Hook in the near future before his value continues to rise.

He has no established track record as an incumbent

There’s no doubt about Hook’s potential and appeal as a cost-controlled young ace.

But as we noted earlier, the 25-year-old isn’t exactly a proven asset when it comes to his starting role on the front line.

Crochet made his debut in 2020 with the White Sox and was initially a power arm out of the bullpen, sporting a 2.82 ERA as a full-time reliever in 54 appearances in 2021.

After missing the entire 2022 season due to injury (more on that shortly), Crochet returned in 2023, making 13 relief appearances for the White Sox.

Hook immediately made impressive returns in 2024 after switching roles as a starter. But whether it was injury concerns or his lack of significant reps at the big league level, the White Sox limited Crochet’s workload down the stretch.

Crochet pitched six or more innings 11 times in his first 18 starts of the season – going 6-6 with a 3.02 ERA and 141 strikeouts in just 101.1 innings of work before the 1st July.

But as Chicago’s season stretched into the dog days of summer, the White Sox made a concerted effort to cut Crochet’s reps. He didn’t pitch more than four innings in a start after June, with his ERA reaching 4.84 over those last 14 appearances (just 44.2 innings).

“We’re at a point now where he’s hitting numbers that no one really knows about,” then-Chicago manager Pedro Grifol said of Crochet in June. “The only thing we can do is our communication with him, our sports performance people, the way his body reacts, the tests he does in the weight room.

“So far, everything is fine. There will be a time when we probably need to slow down a little. This moment is not the moment.

Of course, some of those poor results were also the result of playing on a disastrous 41-121 slate in Chicago.

But the Red Sox will need to keep a close eye on Hook to make sure he doesn’t run out of gas when the stakes rise in September (and perhaps October).

He faced injuries

Crochet’s limited reps as a starter are a direct result of two seasons largely marred by injuries.

After his promising 2021 performance as a reliever, Crochet missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2022. He returned to the majors in May 2023 out of the bullpen, but also spent another stint on the injured list that year. to inflammation of the left shoulder.

After bouncing back in 2024, Crochet was named the American League Comeback Player of the Year last season, with Braves ace Chris Sale earning the National League nod.

A powerhouse starter like Hook will always run the risk of getting bitten by the injury bug — something Boston is experiencing after several limited trade issues after signing a five-year, $145 million extension in 2019.

He doesn’t know Fenway Park

Hook doesn’t really have much experience as a pitcher at Fenway Park.

Entering the 2025 season, Crochet has logged just three total innings at the Red Sox ballpark, allowing eight hits and five earned runs during that stretch.

The left-hander had a game to forget against Boston on September 7, 2024, with the Red Sox scoring him for four earned runs in just two innings of work en route to a 7-5 victory at Fenway.

But Crochet fared better against Boston earlier in the 2024 season, leading Chicago to a 7-2 victory over the Red Sox on June 7 at Guarantee Rate Field. Boston’s bats struggled to solve Crochet in this outing, with Crochet limiting the Red Sox to just three hits and one earned run while striking out 10 in six innings of work.

Conor Ryan is a writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.