Chris Sale deserves the All-Star nomination after proving that the Braves were right about him

If you revisit the offseason, you’ll find Atlanta Braves rookie Chris Sale talking about how excited he is to call Atlanta home. Braves fans were well aware of Sale’s impressive accolades, but didn’t have too high expectations for the left-hander entering his 14th season.

In 2020, Sale tore his UCL and was unable to play on the mound for most of the 2021 season. Sale dreamed of recovering from his injury, but 2022 was a nightmare. He began the season on the 60-day IL due to a stress fracture in his rib. When he finally returned, he broke the pinky finger on his left hand in his second start after returning. But that’s not all. Later in the season, he broke his right wrist in a bicycle accident. It felt like Sale would never return to his former Cy Young self.

Given Chris Sale’s past and his age, it’s understandable why Braves fans didn’t expect him to perform well or even pitch at all in 2024. During the offseason, Sale consistently shared that he hadn’t felt this good before the start of a season since 2018 (incidentally, he was an All-Star and finished 4th in Cy Young Award voting that season). While it was great to hear, many remained uneasy because they felt he was simply being “professional” and “saying all the right things.”

Now, as we approach the halfway point of the 2024 regular season, fans are realizing that Chris Sale meant every word. All he’s accomplished this year is go 10-2 (tied for the best in baseball) with a 2.91 ERA and use his devilish slider to strike out 107 batters in just 86.2 innings.

Sale has a 2.31 FIP, 11.11 K/9, 1.66 BB/9, and a 2.8 WAR, which puts him in a tie for sixth place with Detroit rookie sensation Tarik Skubal. Additionally, Sale’s fastball velocity was impressive, although it was only at the league average (94.7 mph), according to Baseball Savant. However, he could push the velocity up to around 97 mph when he needed it.

He’s elite in nearly every other pitching statistic, matching his percentages from 2018, his last incredible season. With this performance, Sale is vying for his eighth career All-Star appearance. A full breakdown of these stats can be found below.

To give a little more perspective on how efficient Chris Sale has been for the Braves this year, hitters have only a .204 batting average against him and strike out over 31% of the time. He has also only allowed home runs in 1.8% of at-bat appearances, suggesting that he places his pitches well even when he isn’t striking out hitters.

Before joining the Braves, Chris Sale played seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox and six seasons with the Boston Red Sox. He was a seven-time All-Star and seemed to compete for a Cy Young Award every year. He was very successful in the American League, which is usually known for its higher-level offense.

Of course, the game has evolved in recent years and we have designated hitters in both leagues. Sale has also seen many players come and go during his time in the major leagues. However, it is still worth noting that Chris Sale has faced familiar opponents a lot this season. Seven of Sale’s 14 starts this season have been against American League opponents.

He will face another AL opponent on Thursday when the Braves return to Chicago for a game against the White Sox. Sale has a 6-0 record with a 3.51 ERA in seven games during interleague play in 2024. In 41 innings pitched, he has allowed 16 earned runs with nine walks and 51 strikeouts.

When the Braves signed Sale, one of their first thoughts was the advantage he would have over all those National League teams that haven’t seen him much. Atlanta only has four interleague series left this season, and fans can expect Sale to continue his dominant performance as long as he stays healthy.

More from House That Hank Built