When Chris Sale was drafted two years ago, it was to have a young pitching prospect. The plan was to have him develop in the minor leagues and become the next great White Sox starting pitcher. He has the talent to be that, but he never got much of a chance to be in the minor leagues. Almost right after he was drafted, the White Sox used him as a reliever and he did a good job. He finished out the season and helped the White Sox fight for a division title that they didn’t end up getting. During the offseason after that year, there was speculation over whether he would be a starting pitcher, which is what he was supposed to be when they drafted him, or a reliever, which he had experience doing in the league and was successful doing. He ended up being put in the bullpen mainly because there was no room in the rotation. With Buehrle, Danks, Floyd, Peavy, and Humber, all the pitchers were better than him and had more experience. Sox fans knew he wouldn’t get a chance, but now that Peavy is uncertain, Buehrle might be gone, Danks or Floyd might be gone, and Sale is one year older the White Sox announced that Sale would get a chance to be in the rotation.
Now that the Sox know that he’ll be a starting pitcher, the big question is whether or not he will have success at that position. His WHIP was slightly worse last year compared to the year before. In his short 2010 season, his WHIP was 1.07. Last year it was 1.11. One thing that did improve was that he gave up 2 home runs in his short 2010, but only 6 during a full season last year. That shows that he has probably improved his breaking ball and doesn’t leave it hanging as often. That’s key when you’re a starting pitcher.
Sale has the ability to be a good starting pitcher, but he needs to have confidence in himself. Something was wrong at the beginning of the year last year. He kept doing his best Octavio Dotel impression and pitched terribly whenever he went into a game. If Sale can avoid doing that at the beginning of this season, he should be fine as a starting pitcher. His first few starts will probably be short, but I think as the season goes on he will become a good starting pitcher. I don’t know if he’ll be the next Buehrle for the Sox, but he will be a good pitcher. I look forward to seeing what he can do on the mound for more than 2 or 3 innings at a time.
