Atlanta Braves’ Chris Sale steps out as an All Star again

Left-handed starting pitcher Chris Sale seems very comfortable with his new Major League Baseball home.

Sale, who turned 35 on March 30, is once again pitching like an All Star for the Atlanta Braves.

The Boston Red Sox traded Sale, along with cash, to the Braves on December 23, 2023 for infielder Vaughn Grissom.

The way he’s pitching, the Red Sox would probably want Sale back in their rotation.

About Chris Sale:

Chris Sale was a 21st round pick of the Colorado Rockies in the 2007 Major League Baseball draft.

Sale did not sign with the Rockies, choosing instead to attend Florida Gulf Coast University, in Fort Myers, Florida.

Coming out of Lakeland High School in Florida, Sale didn’t attract much attention from Florida’s major college baseball programs, so he went to the Florida Gulf Coast.

Working out of the bullpen for Florida Gulf Coast, Sale improved his throwing mechanics by lowering his arm slot and continued to excel in the Cape Cod Summer League.

Scouts liked what they saw from Sale, and he signed with the Chicago White Sox as the first selection in the 2010 MLB Draft.

Sale was the 13th player chosen in the draft.

Sale may have moved past 13th, but teams feared Sale’s asking price. He signed with the White Sox for MLB’s exact recommendation for that slot, which was $1.656 million.

At the time of the draft, Sale was listed as a pitcher with a 70-level fastball, which was indicative of the astonishing late life he had on his 93-mile-per-hour pitch as a starting pitcher.

Sale was able to increase his fastball to 96 miles per hour when working out of the bullpen, and his repertoire and number of pitches were more limited.

Sale was known for throwing his fastball, slider and changeup at draft time. Each was a Scouting Grade-60 or higher terrain.

At the age of 21, Sale made his big league debut out of the White Sox bullpen.

The sell-off didn’t begin for the White Sox until 2012, when he made 29 starts, pitched to a 3.05 ERA in 192 innings and made the American League All Star team.

Sale made seven straight All Star teams, from 2012-2018.

Sale was consistently throwing 96 miles per hour with Chicago.

Despite his success, the White Sox traded Sale to the Boston Red Sox in December 2016 for reliever Victor Diaz, outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe, pitcher Michael Kopech and third baseman Yoan Moncada.

Kopech is still with the White Sox and working to bring the team together.

Moncada is still with the White Sox, but he is on their injured list.

Sale stayed with the Red Sox for six seasons, before the trade to Atlanta last December.

Facts about Chris Sale:

Sale has suffered a number of career-interrupting injuries, as noted by apnews.com.

Sale’s last full season on the mound was 2019, when he made 25 starts for the Red Sox.

A torn ulnar collateral ligament kept Sale out of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and most of the 2021 season.

A right rib stressor and a fractured left pinky finger in his second start caused more injury time in 2022.

Sale also had to recover from a broken right wrist that occurred in August 2022.

There has always been a lot of pressure on Sale.

Always considered a masterful left-hander, it seemed like expectations were still high with the White Sox and Red Sox.

As a youth, Sale was often compared to Randy Johnson, a tall, thin left-hander with a blistering fastball, high strikeout rates, and the ability to throw a no-hitter every time he took the mound.

In fact, Johnson threw two no-hitters in his 22-year career.

Sale has yet to throw a hit.

That doesn’t mean it won’t happen.

Sale pitches in the middle of a Braves rotation that includes left-hander Max Fried, right-hander Reynaldo Lopez, Sale, veteran right-hander Charlie Morton and young right-hander Bryce Elder.

Star right-hander Spencer Strider, 25, is on the injured list as he recovers from elbow surgery.

Fangraphs.com lists Sale’s average fastball at 93.6 miles per hour. He uses the field 52% of the time.

Sale uses his 79 mph slider as his main secondary argument. He throws this throw 29% of the time.

A third pitch, his slider, is used for 18% of his pitches. He throws that pitch at 85 miles per hour, and the pitch can throw hitters away.

Throughout his career, Sale struck out an average of between 10 and 12 batters per nine innings pitched. He walked fewer than two batters on average per nine innings.

Chris Sale is enjoying a new life with the Braves.

After his last start on May 20, a 7-0 shutout victory over the San Diego Padres, Sale compiled an outstanding record in 2024 with the Braves. He has a sparkling 7-1 record, with a 2.22 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 9 starts, covering 56.2 innings.

Sale struck out 70, while walking only 8 batters.

If Sale maintains this pace, stays healthy and takes the ball on a team that is scoring runs with the efficiency of the Atlanta Braves, we will see Chris Sale pitching for the National League in the 2024 All Star Game in Arlington, ON. Texas.