Finalists have been announced for the 2024 Players Choice Awards, and the White Sox have a man there.
Left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet is one of three players nominated for the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award. He is joined by right-handed pitcher Chad Green of the Blue Jays and outfielder Tyler O’Neill of the Red Sox.
Crochet, 25, missed the entire 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery and made just 13 appearances in 2023. Finally healthy in 2024, the southpaw completed his first full season as a starter. He quickly established himself as one of the best pitchers in the game, notching All-Star honors after a strong first half in which he led all of Major League Baseball in strikeouts (150), K/9 (12.6), and fWAR (3.9). He finished the season with a 3.58 ERA, 209 strikeouts, 2.69 FIP, and 1.068 WHIP over a career-high 146 innings thrown.
Highly coveted leading up to the trade deadline, the former first-rounder completely changed his market by revealing that he would seek an extension before potentially pitching in October. With a full season now under his belt and no signs of a long-term deal coming from the White Sox, Crochet is set to become one of the hottest commodities for teams in need of starting pitching. He possesses two years of club control and plenty of additional upside for anyone willing to pay the price.
In addition to Crochet, former White Sox ace Chris Sale is also up for the same award in the National League as well as the Outstanding Pitcher Award. The left-hander re-established himself with the Braves and did so in dominant fashion after making just 31 starts from 2021-23. He finished the 2024 campaign with a career-high 18 wins while leading the league in ERA (2.38) and strikeouts (235), making him the first pitcher since Clayton Kershaw in 2011 to capture an NL “Triple Crown.”
The winners of this year’s awards, which are chosen through a vote of players’ peers, will be announced during the FOX MLB pregame show ahead of World Series Game 2 on Saturday, October 26th.
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Featured Photo: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
