From Mississippi to the majors, Garrett Crochet is heading to his first all-star game as a big leaguer.
Crochet, born and raised in Ocean Springs, was announced on Sunday as one of 13 pitchers suiting up for the American League when the 2024 MLB All Star Game takes place on July 16 in Arlington, Texas. The Chicago White Sox star got the nod with a midseason stat line of 6-6 with a 3.08 ERA and a league-best 146 strikeouts.
“I am excited and thankful for the people who voted. Thankful to my teammates, I wouldn’t be here without them,” Crochet said in a video posted on X. “I know it’s been a bumpy season, but the relationships make it really easy to go play hard for the guys.”
Garrett Crochet on his All-Star selection pic.twitter.com/ag3P6hT2VV
— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) July 7, 2024
After playing for Ocean Springs High School from 2014-17, Crochet accepted an offer to the University of Tennessee. Choosing not to sign with the Milwaukee Brewers after being selected in the 34th round out of high school, Crochet went on to compile a 10-9 record with 143 strikeouts over his freshman and sophomore seasons with the Volunteers.
When COVID-19 hit and the 2020 season was canceled, Crochet decided not to return to Knoxville and was selected by the White Sox with the No. 11 overall pick in that year’s draft. Immediately called up by the franchise as a reliever, Crochet became the first player since Mike Leake in 2010 to skip the minor leagues and pitch in the majors.
With three seasons of bullpen work under his belt, the struggling White Sox allowed Crochet to move into a starter role, one the 25-year-old lefty has thrived in this season. Although Chicago has baseball’s worst record at 26-66, Crochet is widely deemed worthy of the AL All-Star nod as his 34.8% strikeout percentage leads the MLB.
“When everybody on the planet thought he was a reliever, he said, ‘No, I’m a [expletive] starter,’” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said when informing Crochet and the team that their ace had been named to the AL All-Star team.
“And not only are you a starter, but you’re also one of the best if not the best starting pitcher in Major League Baseball right now and a Major League All Star. Congratulations.”
There was never a doubt, but now it’s official 🥹 pic.twitter.com/0Nv9wCUNYY
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 7, 2024
Crochet and the rest of the big league’s best can be watched in the annual Midsummer Classic on July 16 at 7 p.m. CT on FOX. The full rosters can be found here.
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