White Sox Ace Chris Sale Named To AL All-Star Team
By Bruce Levine--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The ballots have all been counted, and the final selections have been made.
The Chicago White Sox will be represented by ace left-hander Chris Sale in the All-Star Game on July 12 in San Diego. The team's lone representative, Sale will be making his fifth straight trip to the Midsummer Classic.
Sale is the MLB leader in wins with 14. With one more start in the first half coming Friday, he can put himself in an elite class of starters to reach 15 wins before the All-Star break.
Sale has been dominant in a much different way in 2016 than he was in the past. Prior to the season, he and pitching coach Don Cooper came up with a plan to maximize the pitcher's ability to go deeper in games this season and focus less on striking batters out. The plan was intended for Sale to have less wear and tear on his arm by changing strategy going forward.
Sale has responded with a 2.93 ERA that ranks third in the American League and a 0.98 WHIP that leads the league.
"We talked at Sox Fest (in early February) about using the sinker and slider to induce ground balls," Sale said during the spring. "Don talked to me about getting people out in the first three pitches. We didn't say we wouldn't try for strikeouts if the were there. The idea was to prevent long innings and high-stress situations."
The plan has worked well. Sale set a White Sox record for strikeouts in a season with 274 last year. With 118 strikeouts, he's nowhere close to that pace this season, projecting for around 235. Still, the fact that Sale has a decision in 16 of his 17 starts is a clear indication of his ability to stay in games longer. He's averaging 7.05 inning per start after a mark of 6.38 last season.
Sale's strikeout-to-walk ratio also sits at a quality 4.92, the third-best in the AL.
Royals manager Ned Yost will lead the AL squad in the All-Star Game and is more than likely to name Sale his starting pitcher at the scheduled press conference next Monday ahead of the Tuesday game.
"He has earned that," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said of Sale. "There is a lot that goes into what he has done. Some of it is the maturity he has shown and where he is at in the game now. He just gets deeper into games. He is not as concerned about the strikeouts as one would believe he is. He can still strike people out. Now he has gotten to a place where he understands what the team needs. At times, that means going deeper into games. He is always trying to win games. I believe he is a more complete pitcher than he ever has been."
This year it could be an all-Chicago pitching matchup to open the game. Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta and left-hander Jon Lester are among the candidates to take the ball against Sale, who's the obvious AL choice. Then again, Mets manager Terry Collins, who will lead the NL, could be swayed to choose his own starter in right-hander Noah Syndergaard.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.