Red Sox: First half evaluation of players who are either hot or cold
By Jake Ellis
One of the consistent parts of the Red Sox in the first half of the season has been Chris Sale. The Red Sox practically gave up our entire farm system to get him. We traded away our two best prospects in Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech. It was a big risk to take, but so far that risk has more than paid off.
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Sale has been far and away our best starting pitcher, going 10-3 with a 2.77 ERA. Oh, and besides the fact he has won 10 games, he is also striking out more players than anyone in baseball, with 155 strikeouts in 113.2 innings pitched. Sale has always been known to be more of a first half pitcher, let’s hope that he can turn that trend around.
One of the biggest weaknesses of our team last year was our lack of relief pitching. When this year started, Craig Kimbrel was looking for a big comeback after a lackluster 2016, and he as more than come through when the Red Sox have needed him most. Kimbrel has converted 21 of his 22 save opportunities while posting a 1.07 ERA.
While he has always been a pitcher who has been known for his heat, he has really brought his performance to new heights. Kimbrel has 33.4 innings pitched and 61 total strikeouts.” Kimbrel has been the steadying force for our bullpen. I have a lot of faith in him keeping up his performance up for the second half of the season.