Starting Pitcher: Chris Sale
Chris Sale ends the decade with lingering questions about his health and a massive contract that looked questionable before it began but there’s no denying how dominant he’s been with the Red Sox.
In his first season in Boston, Sale led the league with 308 strikeouts, falling just shy of the single-season franchise record. He won 17 games with a 2.90 ERA to finish as the runner-up in Cy Young voting.
A lengthy stint on the injured list cost Sale most of the second half in 2018 but he was even more dominant when he was on the mound. He owned a 2.11 ERA and 13.5 K/9, finishing fourth in Cy Young voting despite being limited to 27 starts.
The Red Sox eased Sale back in when he returned late in the 2018 season but he contributed to their postseason run and recorded the final three outs in the decisive game of the World Series.
A limited spring workload led to a slow start this season and he would end the year on the shelf with an elbow injury. Sale’s 4.40 ERA was easily the worst of his career but he remained among the best strikeout pitchers in baseball with an elite 13.3 K/9.
Jon Lester provides a stiff challenge to Sale’s spot on this list but that’s mostly based on having pitched nearly twice as many innings for the Red Sox this decade. Sale has Lester beat in ERA, WHIP, K/9, BB/9, and fWAR. Lester will always be fondly remembered for his postseason brilliance in 2013 but he’s never come close to anything resembling Sale’s production during his years in Boston.