The Chris Sale Effect
- Chris Knowles
- May 7, 2017
- 2 min read
*article written prior to 5/7 start*
Nobody was more excited than I was during this past offseason when the Boston Red Sox acquired southpaw pitcher Chris Sale. I will admit it, I felt the same way last year when we acquired David Price, 3.99 ERA, cough, second highest career hits allowed, cough, 13.50 ERA in the playoffs, cough, ah sorry about that. But yes, this guy is special. In 7 seasons, he has never had an ERA over 3.54. For being awarded 5-All Star selections, I knew he was going bring something to this Red Sox team that we haven't seen in a long time.
Photo Cred: OverTheMonster.com
It was hard though. Giving up Moncada was something make me think twice about the Red Sox management. Not to mention he has been CRUSHING it with the White Sox AAA team, the Charlotte Knights, batting a fat .347 from 101 at bat attempts. With the Red Sox unlucky attempts at third base, they could definitely use someone like Moncada now. Barring injury, he will be a future superstar in this league, and at only 21 years old, the Moncada era is looming. Or as my good friends at Winterfell Direwolf League use to say....
So the Chris Sale effect. What is it? It is the unbelievable lack of hitting that nearly ANY offensive player has when he is pitching. For a pitcher to already have 63 strikeouts in 7 games, nearly any run support should help the cause. Yet, even after having a 1.63 ERA to this date, Mr. Sale is only 2-2.
This beautifully made chart helps illustrate my point.
*all statistics are from http://www.baseball-reference.com/
The most important column, is the last. Some will argue that being tied, is an "alright" situation, and they can still pulled out a win. But no. The Red Sox finally have a pitcher that can shut people down on a consistent basis, and they can't support him! Not to mention, he had similar problems back in Chicago, but then again, it was the White Sox... Could it be that the Red Sox hitters are just in awe of these performances? I don't think so, and if there is anything I could preach to Mr. Sale, it is this. Do not give up. Do not lose hope. The Red Sox, the City of Boston, the fans, will continue to rally wilt you and support you, and as long as you continue to be the pitcher you proven yourself to be, you will be successful.
If there is any signs of the tides turning, it that in his last game. They gave him adequate run support and allowed him to leave with a lead. It was probably because they were fired up he threw at Manny Machado. I know I was. Though the dominance and power slugging of David Ortiz has faded away like an old friend, this 2017 Red Sox team has a line-up full of hitters, and have yet to reach their potential. Once they do, and once our other pitchers like Price, Thornburg, and Smith get healthy, they will be a team that strikes fear in the heart of the other MLB teams.
Stay Laced.
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