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Boston Red Sox players who should be 2019 MLB All-Stars

By Sean Penney

HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 26: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox receives congratulations from Mookie Betts #50 after hitting a home run in the fourth inning Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on May 26, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 26: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox receives congratulations from Mookie Betts #50 after hitting a home run in the fourth inning Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on May 26, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 17: Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox and the American League pitches in the first inning during the 89th MLB All-Star Game, presented by Mastercard at Nationals Park on July 17, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 17: Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox and the American League pitches in the first inning during the 89th MLB All-Star Game, presented by Mastercard at Nationals Park on July 17, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Chris Sale

Some will look at his 3-7 record and 3.82 ERA and assume that Chris Sale is having a terrible season. He certainly hasn’t been up to his usual standards but he’s still one of the game’s best starting pitchers.

A shaky bullpen and a head-scratching lack of run support mostly explains the losing record. Sale is on pace for the worst ERA of his career but it’s inflated by early season struggles when his velocity was down and he was building himself up following a light workload in spring training. Aside from the occasional hiccup along the way, Sale has been his dominant self since mid-April.

While he ranks only 16th among qualified AL starters in ERA, Sale’s 2.94 FIP is third. He’s also second with a 13.14 K/9 and 3.0 WAR, per FanGraphs.

Sale is second in the league with 148 strikeouts and has only walked 24 batters. His 1.03 WHIP is third in the league and almost identical to his career rate.

Sale won’t be making his fourth consecutive start for the American League but he deserves to be on the team.

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