Chris Sale
34-Year-Old
2023 Stats
W-L
6-5
ERA
4.30
WHIP
1.13
K
125
SV
0
2024 Projections
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Sale made 11 starts before being diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left scapula. At the time, the southpaw had recorded a 4.58 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP, with 71 strikeouts in 59 stanzas. However, a 3.63 xFIP suggested his ERA would drop had he stayed healthy. Sale missed just over 10 weeks, returning in mid-August. He made nine more starts, posting a 3.92 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in that span, fanning 54 in 43.3 innings. This time, Sale's 3.85 xFIP meshed with his actual ERA. For the season, Sale's 4.30 ERA was more than half a run over its estimators. This bodes well for a productive 2024, but with lingering durability concerns. Sale threw 102.2 innings last year, so he could handle in the 150 range, if he can stay healthy. His bloated ERA last year may keep his cost to a level where the reward outweighs the risk. The trick is to expect around 130 innings and plan accordingly. Anything more is icing on the cake. Read Past Outlooks
Strikes out six Rays on Thursday
Sale allowed two runs on three hits and a walk over 3.1 innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against Tampa Bay. He struck out six.
ANALYSIS
After a great beginning to his first spring with Atlanta, Sale has given up five runs over his last seven innings, albeit with a still-sharp 8:2 K:BB. The 34-year-old southpaw has been healthy though, which is the most important thing for a pitcher who hasn't thrown more than 102.2 innings in a season since 2019. Sale is on track for a mid-rotation spot to begin the year, and the reigning NL East champs can afford to go easy on his workload in 2024 given their pitching depth. Expecting more than 25 starts from Sale this season might be asking too much, but he should still be good for plenty of whiffs when he's on the mound after posting a 29.4 percent strikeout rate for Boston last year.
After a great beginning to his first spring with Atlanta, Sale has given up five runs over his last seven innings, albeit with a still-sharp 8:2 K:BB. The 34-year-old southpaw has been healthy though, which is the most important thing for a pitcher who hasn't thrown more than 102.2 innings in a season since 2019. Sale is on track for a mid-rotation spot to begin the year, and the reigning NL East champs can afford to go easy on his workload in 2024 given their pitching depth. Expecting more than 25 starts from Sale this season might be asking too much, but he should still be good for plenty of whiffs when he's on the mound after posting a 29.4 percent strikeout rate for Boston last year.
Pitching Stats
Loading Pitching Stats...
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2023 MLB Game Log
Loading Pitching Game Log...
Minor League Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Loading Minor League Pitching Game Log...
Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
84
Last 10 Games
77
Last 5 Games
84
How many pitches does Chris Sale generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Chris Sale generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2021
-19%
BAA vs LHP
2023
-9%
BAA vs RHP
BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2021vs Left | .198 | 29 | 3 | 16 | 3 | |||
Since 2021vs Right | .245 | 153 | 39 | 121 | 18 | |||
2023vs Left | .245 | 18 | 3 | 12 | 3 | |||
2023vs Right | .224 | 107 | 26 | 75 | 12 | |||
2022vs Left | .000 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
2022vs Right | .294 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | |||
2021vs Left | .154 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
2021vs Right | .291 | 44 | 12 | 41 | 6 | |||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2021
-14%
ERA at Home
2023
-3%
ERA on Road
ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2021Home | 3.63 | 1.16 | 74.1 | 11.9 | 2.1 | ||||
Since 2021Away | 4.23 | 1.21 | 76.2 | 9.9 | 2.9 | ||||
2023Home | 4.37 | 1.08 | 45.1 | 12.3 | 2.2 | ||||
2023Away | 4.24 | 1.17 | 57.1 | 9.9 | 2.8 | ||||
2022Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2022Away | 3.18 | 1.06 | 5.2 | 7.9 | 1.6 | ||||
2021Home | 2.48 | 1.28 | 29.0 | 11.2 | 1.9 | ||||
2021Away | 4.61 | 1.46 | 13.2 | 10.5 | 4.0 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Stat Review
How does Chris Sale compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
4.31K/9
11.0BB/9
2.5HR/9
1.3Fastball
93.9 mphERA
4.30WHIP
1.13BABIP
.304GB/FB
0.99Left On Base
67.4%Exit Velocity
81.0 mphBarrels/BBE
4.2%Spin Rate
2167 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
19.7%Swinging Strike
13.3%Advanced Pitching Stats
Loading Advanced Pitching Stats...
Defensive Stats
Loading MLB Defensive Stats...
Stats Vs Today's Lineup
Want more matchup stats?
Loading Matchup Stats...
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Subscribe Now
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Chris Sale See More
Todd Zola considers the impact of extra rest on starting pitchers and wonders if the Orioles will treat Corbin Burnes with the same care that the Brewers did.
Ronald Acuna holds onto the top spot in the RotoWire Roundtable despite his knee scare, but there's plenty of movement behind him.
Pablo Lopez leads a group of five starter pitchers who the projection systems aren't entirely sure what to do with.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
Sale was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his ribcage in mid-March, so he began 2022 on the 60-day IL. After several short rehab starts, Sale made his debut on July 8, limiting the Rays to three hits over five scoreless frames, fanning five with one walk. His promising return was squashed two outs into the next game when he suffered a broken pinky on a comebacker. It was unclear if Sale would pitch again in 2022, but surgery for a broken wrist incurred from a bicycle accident in early August assured he was done. Sale executed his option, so he'll be back with Boston for two seasons. He didn't miss time with an arm injury, but he's only accrued 48.1 total innings since 2021. Sale is a wild card. When healthy, he was one of the top hurlers in the league. Last season's truncated return is encouraging, but even if healthy, he'll be 33 years old with an innings limit. Let someone else pay for the brand name.
More Fantasy News
Gives up first runs of spring
Sale allowed three runs on four hits and a walk over 3.2 innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles. He struck out two.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Another strong spring outing
Sale gave up three hits and two walks over 2.2 scoreless innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He struck out five while also throwing a wild pitch.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Fans four in perfect outing
Sale struck out four batters over two perfect innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Coming off healthy offseason
Sale indicated Saturday that he'd been completely healthy this offseason for the first time since 2018, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Agrees to two-year contract
Sale signed a two-year, $38 million contract with Atlanta on Thursday.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.