Yeah, I clearly made this before he got shut down for a few weeks, but...here he is anyway. Still Chris Sale, exceptional pitcher, but...the Sox are gonna be without him for a bit.
Chris Sale had an unfortunate turn last year, having his first mediocre season since...okay, ever. No all-star nod, no Cy Young votes, some time on the IL, and just...a version of himself we're not used to. More human numbers, more mistakes, more runs. And now that he's getting himself ready for a comeback...he gets pneumonia for a few weeks, delays his start of spring training, and now won't be a definite for Opening Day. Which blows for the Sox, as they're without Betts and Price...and now Sale for a bit.
Sale is finally facing live batters again, and is working his way back up to normal levels of play, which helps. I do think this will be a normal season for him statistics-wise, and he'll do his usual bit of high-strikeout, low-ERA stuff, just with a slight setback.
Sale aside, this is going to look like a very different Sox team this year. Kevin Pillar's looking at a starting outfield position where Mookie Betts used to be. The rotation spots are still up in the air, and it might be some unknown like Chris Mazza, Ryan Weber or Kyle Hart being thrown in there instead of Porcello or Price. There's no Brock Holt, no Pedroia til much later this season, and Jose Peraza might be starting at 2nd this year. This is what we're up to two years after the parade in Boston.
Granted, this team could still be good, and there could be some surprise moments coming from players we don't expect, but...compared to what the Yankees, Rays, and honestly Blue Jays have coming up this year, the Red Sox don't have much. Just some downhill momentum that might get unloaded a bit more as we go on.
Coming Tomorrow- He's one of the best catchers in the leagues, and hopefully he gets to spend more than one more year in Philly.
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