Garrett Crochet

A 6-foot-6, 218-pound southpaw with a fastball regularly in the 96-100 mph range and a plus breaking ball, Crochet has arguably the best overall stuff in the 2020 draft class and certainly the best stuff of any lefthander. But the abbreviated 2020 season hurt Crochet because he doesn’t have the track record of starting that many of the college pitchers around him do. Crochet split time as a starter and reliever during his freshman and sophomore seasons before entering his junior season with a full-time starting role. That was delayed, reportedly due to shoulder soreness, and Crochet made just one start against Wright State—when he threw 3.1 innings with six strikeouts—before the season shut down. His stuff looked good as ever in that outing, with a fastball that ranged from 93-99 mph as well as a plus slider and above-average changeup. Crochet creates uncomfortable at-bats against hitters, particularly lefties, with the length and angle he creates in his delivery. His fastball explodes out of his hand and is a plus-plus pitch at the moment, giving him the-pitch mix of a relief ace to fall back on if starting doesn’t work out. His secondary offerings have been inconsistent in the past, but both have flashed enough potential to project as above-average or better offerings in the future. There aren’t any glaring reasons why Crochet couldn’t start, and his strike-throwing with Tennessee has been fine (3.37 walks per nine for his career), but teams are wary of his relative lack of track record in the rotation. If a team is willing to take a risk, Crochet’s pure stuff fits at the top of the draft. While he has a a wide range of potential outcomes, it’s difficult to find this stuff and size from a lefthander.