The White Sox have re-signed reliever Kyle Crick and signed infielder Ryder Jones, per Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America. Crick joined the White Sox Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte last July after being released by the Pirates, while Jones, whose last taste of the majors came in 2018, spent 2021 bouncing around the Diamondbacks’ system. Both signed minor league deals.
Crick, a one-time high-end prospect in the Giants’ system, tossed 24 1/3 innings of 4.44 ERA ball with the Pirates in 2021. But while his top-line numbers hovered around league average and he didn’t allow a single home run, an elevated walk rate (17.8%) and below-average strikeout rate (19.6%) suggest he may have been buoyed by a bit of luck. The righty did put forth a strong showing at Triple-A Charlotte — a 0.87 ERA with three walks and 15 Ks in 10 1/3 innings — in a small sample, but the call back to the bigs never came.
For his career, Crick has posted a 3.51 ERA (4.25 FIP) in 171 2/3 innings across parts of five seasons with the Giants and Pirates. After a strong debut (3.06 ERA in 32 1/3 innings) following a 2017 mid-season call-up with San Francisco, the Texan looked like a bona fide high-leverage option after heading to Pittsburgh (with Bryan Reynolds) for Andrew McCutchen ahead of the 2018 season, in which he logged a 2.39 ERA (3.14 FIP) in 60 1/3 innings across 64 appearances. Control problems began to bite in 2019, however, and elevated walk and home run rates (15.5% and 4.4%, respectively) saw his ERA balloon to 4.96 before a broken finger (sustained in a clubhouse fight with teammate Felipe Vázquez) ended his season in September. Crick did post a 1.59 ERA in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, but he was limited to only 5 2/3 innings due to right shoulder problems.
Like Crick, Jones came up in the Giants system. Primarily a third baseman, he reached the bigs in 2017 but posted a meager .173/.244/.273 batting line in 164 plate appearances across 53 games. Including a further 8 trips to the plate logged in 2018, Jones’ career line stands at .185/.250/.316, a far cry from the solid .283/.347/.467 Triple-A line he’s put together in 782 plate appearances across parts of four seasons at that level. After becoming a minor league free agent following the 2019 season, the lefty-swinging Jones signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox before spending 2020 with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Constellation Energy League following the cancellation of the minor league season. He signed a minor league deal with Arizona ahead of the 2021 season and compiled a .288/.344/.500 line in 293 trips to the plate across three levels.
Of the two, Crick likely has the easier path to breaking spring training with the big club, where he’ll be given a chance to slot in at the back end of a solid White Sox bullpen. The South Siders’ starting infield is set between Jose Abreu, Leury Garcia, Tim Anderson, and Yoan Moncada, but Jones will hope to benefit from the mid-season departure of Nick Madrigal in the Craig Kimbrel deal; he’ll vie for a bench slot as a backup infielder alongside the more versatile Danny Mendick, though the White Sox are likely to bring in at least a few more bodies to compete for bench roles.
Anybody who fought Felipe Vazquez is A-OK in my book.
You beat me to it. Good Ole boy from Texas taking on a guy nicknamed “Nightmare” in the clubhouse a ok with me. I wish the Angels would of signed him. By the way for anyone thinking Puljos is his actual age, this dudes last name used to be Rivero or something. He changed it to match his sister’s surname. Yeah. Ok. Shuffle a papper here, shuffle a paper there. Minor league deal and has posted good MLB numbers.
Wish I could like it twice
Dumpster Diving Hahn!
Well, there will be plenty more, just people in different uniforms.
Whatever his numbers say, Crick’s stuff simply wasn’t nearly as good by 2021 as it had been. I seem to remember reading that he had lost a noticeable amount of speed off of his fastball, and he had gradually been falling down the pecking order in the Pirate bullpen… a bullpen that was surprisingly decent on such an overall lousy team.
What’s the book on this Crick guy? I’ve known his name for years but never seen him pitch. He has some eye popping minor league numbers
Saw him come up in SF’s system. Threw hard and fast, but had problems with command. I think SF groomed him as a starting pitcher, but that he found more success as a reliever. He seemed to have found more luck in his first season with the Pirates, and hopefully he can put it together for a new team.
Ryder Jones was another SF prospect that never really panned out. We last saw him in 2017, when he looked pretty overmatched by big league pitching.
Was a legit 7th 8th inning guy. 2020 his fastball lost like 5mph or so. 2021 it came back some but not all the way. Breaking wasn’t as sharp. Still looked like a mlb reliever. Had clubhouse falling out so they got rid of him.
He has a pretty nasty break on his slider but he doesn’t have much command of the pitch and ends up walking some guys that he should have put away. He’s a pretty reliable middle reliever but if he could put his slider where he wants to more often then he could be a viable setup type guy.
Somehow the White Sox reminded me of a sitcom out of Canada with this signing. They up . … ?
Crick is somewhat typical of pitching prospects. It’s hard to project development, or predict the lack of. Crick had great stuff as a youngster, I thought he’d be a solid RP. But he never seemed to develop. Then he lost velocity, and he didn’t seem to be able to consistently get guys out without it. Maybe something will click, or maybe he can get back some velocity. But whatever, he’s still worth the no-risk flyer.
hard to project pitchers, but almost impossible with relievers.
The South Siders’ starting infield is set between Jose Abreu, Leury Garcia, Tim Anderson, and Yoan Moncada
…..hope not
Umm, it’s a lockout. Everything is frozen until the new CBA is completed. Don’t get your panties in a bunch, it could be worse. You could be the Pittsburgh Pirates fan
Few expect Leury Garcia to be the White Sox starting second baseman in 2022 including the front office and most pundits. Garcia’s value is that of a super-versatile utility player who can cover all 3 outfield positions along with SS, 2B and 3B when a regular starter gets injured or needs a day off. There is little doubt that GM Rick Hahn will add a starting 2B through free agency or a trade after the lockout is lifted and well ahead of opening day.
What’s wrong you don’t want Cesar Hernandez back at 2nd? Lol
I’ll never understand the Madrigal deal. That kid can freaking hit. Would have looked nice at the top of the order next to Anderson for the next few years
If you don’t understand the Madrigal deal for Kimbrel, what did you think of the other Chicago team’s deal for only a 1/2 a season of Aroldis Chapman back in 2015? They sent 4 players to the Yankees for him, including Adam Warren, Billy McKinnon and some guy named Gleybar Torres. There must be something in the Chicago water that makes GMs give up top end talent for rental closers. At least Kimbrel had a option for 2022 on his deal but it was an expensive one ($16M). On the other side of the coin (the South Side), at least the Cubs won the World Series in 2015 but Chapman wasn’t great in the World Series itself. He certainly helped them get there though.
Still cannot believe Sox gave up Madrigal for Kimbrel…….Can you imagine Fernando Tatis Jr in right field and Marcus Semien at 2nd base? It could have happened. Am looking for big things with White Sox in 2022.
While we are living in fantasy land, why not imagine they passed on Courtney Hawkins and took a different prep outfielder in 2009. Maybe one from. Medford NJ.
Millville, not Medford. What happened to the edit function?
The Medford Meteor
Bad peripherals aside, Crick is a reliever who mostly got his job done last year and showed a higher ceiling already. I am a bit surprised he settled for a minor league deal this early, but congratulations to the White Sox on possibly getting to stash such a decent player beyond their roster.
Gruß,
BSHH
Just hoping some of these ‘bodies’ Hahn brings in for the infield have a temperature above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Just a question, if this lockdown continues, are the teams expected to open spring training, thus far, the season, with the available players on each team? If so, this may explain why each team is trying to fill the roster with minor league signings. But, just guessing, in the case this may happen, players can decide not to play, and so the season’s start may be in jeooardy.