Putting the Boston Red Sox lineup together for Opening Day has been like figuring out a Rubik’s Cube. But while the lineup has come together, the pitching staff has been a mystery.
Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, and Lucas Giolito will start the season on the injured list and the Red Sox are scrambling to fill the back end of their rotation. While the state of the rotation is uncertain, there’s one obvious decision Alex Cora could make and he made it official with an announcement on Saturday morning.
Red Sox Name Garrett Crochet Opening Day Starter
The Red Sox announced that Garrett Crochet will be the team’s Opening Day starter when Boston travels to take on the Texas Rangers on March 27. Tanner Houck had a case to be the Opening Day starter after going 9-10 with a 3.12 ERA in an All-Star campaign last season. But Cora went with Crochet due to the upside he has displayed since coming over in a trade with the Chicago White Sox last winter.
“Talked to Tanner. He was our best starter last year. He was an All-Star,” Cora said via MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “He just said ‘Give me the ball whenever.’ But just who [Crochet] is. His stuff is big. There’s a reason we got him here and we envision him as a true No. 1 – to be determined kind of. But we truly believe that where we’re at as an organization and what he represents, it will be good for him to make the first pitch of the season."
Crochet has big expectations coming into his first season with the Red Sox. The 25-year-old went 6-12 last season, but it felt like an accomplishment considering he played on a team that set an MLB record with 144 losses. Crochet’s peripherals also translated in his first year as a starter, posting a 3.58 ERA and 35.1% strikeout rate that ranked in the 98th percentile, according to Baseball Savant.
It’s why the Red Sox gave up a haul to get the left-hander Boston, including top 100 prospects Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery as well as Chase Meidroth and Wikelman Gonzalez.
“This guy, stuff-wise, I’ve been watching Spring Training, and you look around the league, and he’s one of the elite arms in the big leagues,” Cora said about Crochet. “He is. He truly is. The way he handles the clubhouse, the way he has gelled with the group, it’s been fun to watch.”
The Red Sox will start the season thin on starting pitching, but Crochet is one of their best options. While Houck will start the second game of the series with the Rangers, Walker Buehler will start the third game, leaving Cora optimistic of what his rotation could be when Boston returns to health.
“We needed to improve our rotation, and we actually did it with two guys [Crochet and Buehler],” Cora said. “Obviously we’re a bit down. We’re getting tested right away without Gio, Kutter and Bello. But we have capable guys and those two that came over, they’re really good at what they do in different ways.”