By
Drew VonScio is a Newsweek contributor based in Pittsburgh, PA. His focus is on MLB content. Drew has been with Newsweek since December 2024 and also works full-time at WTOV, a TV station in Steubenville, Ohio. He is a 2023 graduate of Bethany College (WV) and a 2024 graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. You can get in touch with Drew by emailing [email protected].
Drew VonScio
Contributing Sports Writer
news article Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Share✓ Link copied to clipboard! Garrett Crochet was a Cy Young Award finalist in 2025 with the Chicago White Sox. While he looks to repeat and get the better of Tarik Skubal this season, the Boston Red Sox ace has the chance to make MLB history as well.Paul “Hembo” Hembekides joined Buster Olney on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” podcast and believes Crochet could do something no other big league pitcher has ever done: strike out 40% or more of all hitters faced.
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 28: Garrett Crochet #35 of the Boston Red Sox delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during a Grapefruit League spring training game at BayCare Ballpark on…
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 28: Garrett Crochet #35 of the Boston Red Sox delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during a Grapefruit League spring training game at BayCare Ballpark on February 28, 2025 in Clearwater, Florida.
More
Julio Aguilar/Getty Images
“I think it might be the best stuff on the planet,” said Hembekides. “Among 126 pitchers that threw at least 100 innings, he ranked first among all of them in Stuff+. That looks at the physical characteristics of every pitch. Further, among that subset of pitchers, he ranked number one among all of them in inducing swing and miss in the zone which evaluators will tell me is an even more predictive measurement of swing and miss than chase percentage.”For context, Crochet struck out 35.1% of all batters in 2024 with the White Sox. While he has some work to do in boosting his strikeout percentage, Crochet is only 25 years old. He certainly has the potential and upside to push for 40% or more.As Hembekides mentions, Gerrit Cole came the closest out of any MLB pitcher in history; he struck out 39.9% of batters in 2019 with the Houston Astros. Cole was 28 years old during that season and four years older than Crochet is currently.According to FanGraphs, there isn’t a single metric predicting Crochet to finish with a strikeout rate of 33% or more. However, it doesn’t mean he can’t prove the metrics wrong. He faced 595 batters in 2024 and averaged 4.56 innings per start.With a little more efficiency, Crochet could do deeper into games and could be well on his way toward making MLB history.More MLB: How to Watch Red Sox vs Orioles: Live Stream MLB Spring Training, TV Channel