A Southpaw Reborn
A Southpaw Reborn
and all opposing hitters are in trouble
The 35-year-old southpaw has found a resurgence this season down in Atlanta. Chris Sale is on a mission and can’t be stopped as he rampages through opposing lineups. In his last four starts, he has recorded 37 strikeouts across 25 innings, allowing just one walk and one earned run! This has been straight domination, and a vintage sale has been on display.
Sale might be one of my generation's top 10 starting pitchers when it is all said and done (FYI - I am currently 30 y/o). He has not received the love he deserves over the last few years due to injuries. I know that is a big claim to compare him with pitchers like Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Tom Glavine, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Roy Halladay, and others, but Chris Sale is electric when on the bump. Not only is his stuff nasty, but he is also racking up the career numbers that justify him being in that generational-type conversation.
Following his previous start against the Padres on Monday, which resulted in a 3-0 win for the Braves, I needed to address the devastation he has caused hitters this season. Right now, Sale is utilizing a 4-pitch mix, including a 4-Seam Fastball (38.1%), Changeup (13.2%), Sinker (8%), and his trusty Slider (40.7%). His slider is currently generating a Whiff% of 40.8%, which is the best we have seen from him since the 2018 season, in which he was selected for the All-Star game, finished 4th in Cy Young voting, as well as finished 22nd in MVP voting! Yeah…it might be time to check in and start watching this guy pitch if you haven’t been doing so already.
The more I look into Sale’s career numbers, the more I am impressed. He still owns the record of being the fastest pitcher to 2000 career strikeouts in just 1,626 innings. Right now, he has the 4th most strikeouts in the National League (6th in all MLB) and can very well be on his way to leading the league again in strikeouts, which would be the 3rd time (AL Strikeout Leader 2015 & 2017) in his career he has accomplished that feat. The only way he doesn’t get selected for his 8th All-Star game this season would be injury, and that itself would be a catastrophe as baseball is better with Chris Sale healthy.
If Sale stays healthy and finishes the season strong, there is a legitimate chance that he will finish the year north of 2,400 career strikeouts and enter the top 50 on the all-time strikeout leader list. Do I think he can get to 3000 career strikeouts if he stays healthy over the next few seasons? Absolutely. Will he? Time will tell.
All I know is that every time I peep at Sale’s season and career numbers, I look at the numbers of not only an Ace but also a generational type of talent. His resume currently includes 7x All-Star appearances, 2x AL Strikeout Leader, seven straight years of finishing top-6 in Cy Young Voting from 2012-2018, and a World Series Champion. If he adds a Cy Young in the mix (which is possible this year), we might be looking at a future Hall of Famer, if not so already.
2024 Stats:
2.1 WAR | 7 W | 2.22 ERA | 9 G | 56.2 IP | 70 K | 0.865 WHIP
Career Stats:
49.2 WAR | 127 W | 3.08 ERA | 352 G | 1837.1 IP | 2259 K | 1.042 WHIP
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