CHICAGO -- Hagen Smith threw out one of the ceremonial first pitches prior to Cleveland’s 5-3 victory over the White Sox Monday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Guardians rookie Joey Cantillo carried a perfect game into the seventh during the series opener, until Andrew Benintendi’s two-out single to right broke it up. Bryan Ramos launched his first career home run in the eighth in what would become the White Sox franchise-record 13th straight home loss and 112th overall.
That pregame toss became Smith’s last pitch of the 2024 season, according to White Sox general manager Chris Getz, after the team’s top pick in this year’s MLB Draft made three starts for High-A Winston-Salem.
Smith should be viewed as an integral future rotation piece for the White Sox rebuild, possibly coming as soon as next season for the 21-year-old ranked the No. 3 White Sox prospect and No. 31 overall, per MLB Pipeline. He most likely would join right-handers Jonathan Cannon and Drew Thorpe, who already have Major League experience, and eventually Noah Schultz, the fellow southpaw and top Draft pick, who is the team’s No. 1 prospect and No. 14 overall.
And there’s Garrett Crochet, who has been one of the game’s best stories during his first season as a starting pitcher. Crochet has 191 strikeouts over 134 innings pitched, tying him with Seattle’s Logan Gilbert for third in the American League.
Crochet is the perfect ace atop a young group of hurlers in the midst of a rebuild, but will he still be with the White Sox by the time pitchers and catchers report next February to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.? It’s a question that Getz addressed as part of his Monday media session.
“We’re really proud of what Garrett has accomplished as a starter this year,” Getz said. “He’s been one of the bright spots of baseball, quite honestly, but it’s not a player we’re actively shopping.
“Obviously there’s a lot of interest in a Garrett Crochet because of what he can do on the mound. You look at the long list of arms we’ve accumulated, both through the Draft and trades, we feel like we’re in a pretty healthy spot from a pitching standpoint.”
The White Sox hold two more years of control over Crochet before he becomes a free agent. Their rebuild path doesn’t seem directed to true contention during that time, barring a surprise, so the White Sox have to evaluate what Crochet can bring as their top-of-the-line hurler without a contract extension vs. what he brings in a return from the trade of a top-of-the-line hurler.
“We need to weigh where we’re going to be in a year or two years,” Getz said. “We also know how talented he is and he can certainly lead a rotation with the White Sox or anyone else.
“So, we’re going to take advantage of what he’s capable of doing as a starter. But also, it’s wise to see what the market holds for Garrett Crochet to see if we can improve the White Sox for the future.”
When Smith addressed the media after interim manager Grady Sizemore and Getz, he had yet to meet Crochet. Smith, who struck out 161 over 84 innings for Arkansas before fanning seven in 7 2/3 innings with the Dash, already knew Crochet was a “stud out there.”
Monday’s visit marked Smith’s first trip to Chicago, coming with his parents and his girlfriend. The White Sox took them to Steak 48, a top-notch steakhouse in the heart of downtown Chicago, on Sunday night, followed by a look at the ballpark.
This look included high praise from Getz in regard to Smith’s future fit.
“He's got big stuff,” Getz said. “You look at what he can do with his fastball and breaking pitches, and it kind of reminds you of other pitchers that you currently have in your organization and other pitchers across the league that are leading rotations.”
“I didn’t know really what to expect. But it was awesome getting out there and getting the first taste of pro ball,” Smith said. “Yeah, [it was] a little different. You have to lock in a little more. There’s no one there to prop you up a little bit.”
Having Crochet as a mentor would be a boon to young pitchers such as Smith. Crochet’s true leadership clearly would be tough to replace.
“You have to start with his talent,” said Getz of Crochet. “That’s certainly not an arm that’s easy to come by when it comes to taking someone like that out of the rotation and then plugging someone in. He has really taken on a leadership role.”