GLENDALE, Ariz. — Garrett Crochet got ahead quickly while displaying some really good offspeed pitches against teammates Danny Mendick and Oscar Colás during live batting practice Thursday at Camelback Ranch.
One of the left-hander’s next steps as he attempts to work from the bullpen to becoming a starter for the Chicago White Sox could come Tuesday with an inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“So far (Crochet’s progression) has been good,” pitching coach Ethan Katz said afterward. “We have a lot of hurdles that we still have to climb. But going out there and attacking the strike zone is No.1, and building him up properly without overdoing it because of his workload in the past.”
In addition to throwing strikes, Crochet is focused on getting in good counts and ending at-bats.
“What we saw last year, some of the innings got a little bit prolonged because of at-bats getting dragged out,” Katz said. “We want him to be able to challenge the strike zone as much as possible.”
Katz provided updates on several pitchers after Thursday’s workout.
1. Michael Kopech is ‘in a great spot.’
Michael Kopech impressed during a live batting practice session Tuesday, showing strong command and a solid fastball while facing several hitters, including Zach Remillard. One of his goals is 30-plus starts this season.
Katz said the right-hander had a “great” offseason. And he is seeing an extension of that in some of the early work this spring.
“He looks in phenomenal shape,” Katz said. “This is probably the best I’ve seen him coming into spring training since ‘21. And even that was disruptive with some COVID stuff leading up to it.
“But he’s been phenomenal. Ball’s coming out hot and he’s pounding the strike zone, so right now he’s in a great spot. And physically, he got in great shape. He’s always been in good shape, but he’s gotten back to where his shape was in ‘21. And so it’s been great to see.”
2. Ramp-up adjustments are paying off for Dylan Cease.
Katz didn’t want to go into details but said some tweaks could prove beneficial as Cease aims for some of the success he had in 2022 while finishing second in the American League Cy Young Award voting.
“For the most part, where he was last year coming into the spring, we asked him to make some adjustments with his ramp-up this year,” Katz said. “And he was throwing 97 (mph) in his live BP the other day. He looks really sharp, the fastball command was really good, slider was standard.
“So it’s just get him back going, getting his arm moving a little bit more, because last year the velo was down a little bit. But right now he looks (to be) in a really good place. He carved through some hitters (Wednesday). It’s good to see.”
3. The Sox are focused on getting Chris Flexen and Michael Soroka ‘back to where they were.’
Erick Fedde, Flexen and Soroka were among the team’s offseason additions.
Katz pointed to Fedde’s success at getting batters to hit ground balls during his MVP season in the Korea Baseball Organization as something that could lead to success back in the majors.
As for Flexen and Soroka, Katz said the Sox are “trying to kind of get them back to where they were.”
In Flexen’s case, it’s “trying to recapture where he was in ‘21.” The right-hander went 14-6 with a 3.61 ERA that season for Seattle Mariners.
“Right now his delivery and posture look really good and he’s kind of back to the mix he was showing in ‘21,” Katz said.
Soroka returned to action last season for the Atlanta Braves after tearing his right Achilles tendon on Aug. 3, 2020, and retearing it in June 2021.
“What he was able to do prior to injuries is something he’s not able to do as much, so we’re kind of working with his new delivery, understanding how good the sinker was in years past, and trying to get him as close to that as possible with where he’s at with his delivery, what he can and can’t do,” Katz said. “We’re working through that, trying to gather more information to give him the information that we think is best for him with his usage, as well.”
Injury updates: John Brebbia sidelined with right calf strain
Reliever John Brebbia suffered a right calf strain during his live batting practice session Wednesday.
“We are shooting for opening day, beginning of the season,” manager Pedro Grifol said of Brebbia’s return. “My only question (was), ‘Hey, are we going to keep the arm moving?’ And without hesitation, all our guys said it wasn’t a problem.”
The Sox signed the right-hander to a one-year, $5.5 million deal during the offseason.
Lefty Shane Drohan — the team’s Rule 5 selection in December — underwent nerve decompression surgery on his left shoulder Thursday morning, Grifol said.
“I was really excited to watch him pitch, but I think it was just a nerve decompression,” Grifol said. “We are excited to be able to identify that and then to have it be something that we can get through and start that (throwing) program right at the end of spring.”
Drohan pitched in the Boston Red Sox farm system last year.
