White Sox sign top pick Garrett Crochet

The White Sox signed their first-round draft pick, left-hander Garrett Crochet, to a full-slot bonus of more than $4.5 million on Monday.

Crochet, drafted 11th overall from Tennessee, said he is “thrilled to officially be a member of the White Sox’ organization” in a statement released by the club.

“It has always been my dream to play at the highest level, and now I’m one step closer to achieving that dream,” Crochet said. “I want to thank my family, friends, coaches and teammates who have helped throughout my baseball career. I can’t wait to get started.”

The 6-6, 220-pound Crochet entered the draft rated as the third-best left-hander by MLBPipeline. Baseball America rated his fastball, which has touched 99 mph, as the best among college pitchers.

Crochet, 20, made one start his junior season, pitching 3⅔ scoreless innings with six strikeouts, before the season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. He was named a 2020 Baseball America Preseason First-Team All-American and Perfect Game Preseason Third-Team All-American. Crochet is a native of Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

The Sox drafted a hard-throwing right-hander in the second round of the scaled-back, five-round draft June 10-11, taking Jared Kelley of Refugio (Texas) High School. Projected as a first-rounder, Kelley fell to the 42nd pick but is expected to sign for above his slot value of slightly more than $1.5 million. Kelley, who has a commitment to Texas, is expected to sign for around $3 million.