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Crochet rated as Mississippi's best prep pitching prospect in 2017 but wasn't quite ready for pro ball or particularly signable, so he fell to the Brewers in the 34th round. He bounced between Tennessee's rotation and bullpen in his first two college seasons, earning the Volunteers' first NCAA tournament victory since 2005 last June -- just two weeks after a line drive fractured and dislocated his jaw. He was sensational in fall practice, vaulting him into top-10-pick consideration, but missed three weeks as a precaution with soreness in his shoulder and made just one appearance during the truncated 2020 season.
After working with a 91-95 mph fastball and topping out at 97 during the spring, Crochet dealt at 96-100 for most of the fall, and his heater already played better than its velocity because it has high spin rates. His 82-85 mph slider features above-average spin rates as well and his long arms create difficult angle on his breaking ball. He flashes a well above-average changeup at times, throwing it around 90 mph with deceptive arm speed.
For a 6-foot-6 pitcher, Crochet does a nice job of keeping his long levers in sync and providing strikes. Scouts like his delivery and arm action, though he still needs to refine his command to make the most of his overpowering stuff. His short track record with his improved arsenal is a concern, but he still could surpass R.A. Dickey (18th overall, 1996) as the highest-drafted Volunteers pitcher ever.
Crochet bounced around Tennessee's rotation in his first two college seasons, earning the Volunteers' first NCAA tournament victory since 2005 in June 2019 -- just two weeks after a line drive fractured and dislocated his jaw. A sensational performance in fall practice vaulted him into top-10-pick consideration, but his stock dipped when Tennessee held him out of the first three weeks of the 2020 season as a precaution when he came down with mild shoulder soreness. Though he made just one appearance before the coronavirus shutdown, he still surpassed R.A. Dickey (18th overall, 1996) as the highest-drafted Volunteers pitcher ever and signed for $4,547,500 as the 11th overall pick.
After working with a 91-95 mph fastball and topping out at 97 as a sophomore, Crochet boosted his heater to 96-101 mph as a junior and averaged 100.1 mph as a big league reliever. His 82-85 mph slider also features plenty of spin and his long arms create difficult angle on his breaking ball. He shows flashes of a well above-average changeup, throwing it around 90 mph with deceptive arm speed.
The 6-foot-6 Crochet does a nice job of keeping his long levers in sync and providing strikes. His delivery and arm action are conducive to starting, though he'll need to refine his command to work at the front of a rotation. The White Sox rushed him to the big leagues in September to use him out of the bullpen down the stretch like they did with Chris Sale a decade ago, making him the first player to go straight to the big leagues from the Draft since Mike Leake of the Reds in 2010.
