Boston Red Sox stars before they made it to Major League Baseball
By Sam Colman
Red Sox SP Chris Sale:
Sale is another Florida boy who attended Lakeland High School in Lakeland, Florida. After playing baseball and basketball in high school, he was drafted in the 21st round by the Colorado Rockies in the 2007 MLB Draft. He almost signed but ended up enrolling and playing baseball at Florida Gulf Coast University, where he majored in criminal justice.
In his freshman season, he was primarily used as a relief pitcher as he came out of the bullpen 20 times and only started once. In 36 and 1/3 innings, he had a 2-0 record and a 3.47 ERA while striking out 43 batters. He also had 2 saves.
In his sophomore season, his role changed as he transitioned to mostly being used as a starter. He started 12 out of 14 games he appeared in. He went 7-4 with a 2.72 ERA and struck out 104 batters.
His junior year in 2010 was his best yet as he went 11-0 in 15 starts with a 2.01 ERA. He led the country with 146 strikeouts in only 103 innings pitched.
After his junior season, Sale was drafted by the Chicago White Sox with the 13th pick in the 1st round of the 2010 MLB Draft.